audience of >=1

The always-enthusiastic Iain Banks was at the bookfest today, reading out a bit of his forthcoming newbook (which sounds good) and generally sounding chirpy and keen, though he didn't repeatedly use the word "baddie" as he did last year. One thing he seems to mention fairly frequently is how he started off pitching what he was writing at someone like himself, continuing on the premise that there must be a fair few out there if they keep reading the stuff. Not sure when the new one is out but hopefully soonish, though it'll probably be another year before the paperback appears. Unfortunately no-one asked him why he'd stuck a glossary at the back of Matter when none of his previous sci-fi novels had required it (unless they had, but not in the editions I've read) which is hard to be taken in any way other than as a mild insult to the intelligence of the readership.

Prior to that was A C Grayling, popular atheist philisopher and frequent popper-upper in things listened to and read. Mostly talking about the contents of his latest book but answering a couple of questions at the end, though sadly none from any religious attendees who will hopefully show up at the Dawkins talk at the end of the month where replies would be slightly more impatient.

In between them I had to walk extremely quickly past the flat to the nearby timberyard to carry one end of the five-metre piece of wood we'd bought to attach the curtain-rail to in order to enable the living-room to be made dark enough for a father to sleep in it. There was just enough time to get it back to the flat and up the stairs before heading back out to Charlotte Square for Banks, thenceafterwards via work to collect my bag then back home where the piece of wood was slowly fitted, a mildly irritating task just because it was a bit too long and unbalanceable to be able to hold in place to drill pilot holes with the result that the roughly-measured holes in the wood weren't quite precisely in line with the holes in the wall. It should be safe enough as it's a newly-plastered wall and it supported the same curtains prior to replastering but I'm sure a lots of additional support came from the batten being glued to the wallpaper as well as screwed-in to the crumbly oldplaster.