Merciful release?

Nobody emerges well from this story. Not even the mother who paid the killers £20 a week to look after the child while she decorated her home for a month. Did the windows not open? A few paint fumes are far less harmful than being kicked to kingdom come by a Tesco Value Ian and Myra. I'm afraid to say that if that's the level of care the child could have been expecting through his formative years, this child's life was going to be fairly wretched. The appalling suffering he had to endure now may well have saved him from lifelong torture.

Free to lance

Being a man, important dates float by me without ceremony. Family birthdays, etc. I'm not being thoughtless or selfish. I'd forget my own birthday if not for the reminders from family and friends. I now realise that one rather important occasion floated past without comment the other day. I was filling in a very boring form, and it asked me how long I've been in my present employment. As I left Publishing News on 22 March 2002, I've now been a full-time freelance writer for 8 years and 3 days. I use the phrase full-time advisedly, for the main joy of doing what I do is that I don't keep regular hours. Also, working at home means that I get to see a lot of my daughter as she grows up. So, 8 years without a regular guaranteed income, and I'm still keeping my head above water (just about). I think that's worthy of celebration. Nothing fancy. Lidl has ersatz Pomagne for £1 a bottle. That's about my level. Cheers.

Hackery alert

My glowing review of Lewis Chester's new biography of Lew Grade appeared in today's Independent on Sunday. It's a cracking book, and a must for anyone with an interest in the business they call the show.