"My late agent, the great eccentric Peggy Ramsay, hated me writing plays set at Christmas. 'Oh Alan,' she'd say, 'not another bloody Christmas play.' But I'd explain to her that Christmas was a gift to a dramatist. You're always looking for a reason to stick a group of people together who can't stand each other, aren't you? Dinner parties are good, but what better time than Christmas? You've got three days together and there's always bound to be at least a cousin no one can stand. I've seen it at my own Christmases - two relatives arguing bitterly over who should sit in which chair."

Well, a year since I started contributing to the AAUK newsletter certainly has flown by! I’ve very much enjoyed regularly submitting writing, but I thought this one-year anniversary might be a fitting time to give someone else from the membership an opportunity to offer a new perspective.