For the first time in many a year I've spent the day reading a book. Yesterday I went across teh road to the church bazaar and bought a total of 8 books for £4 and a coupple of beddingplants. This morning I sat down with Clarrisa Dickson-Wright's autobiog, Spiling the Beans.

Clarrisa was one half of the Two Fat Ladies, a cooking team with 4 or 5 series on TV. They used to travel teh country, cooking fantastic meals for unlikely people, from a motorbike and sidecar. I used to thoroughly enjoy the programmes and on the strength of that bought the biog.

What a life this woman has had, what traumas and disasters, what pain, what achievements. And you've guessed it, she's one of us. The middle part of the book describes her road to recovery, warts and all. Her desciption of her life with her father and his alcoholic behaviour certainly struck a chord with me - because I behaved in a very similar way - then the honest, bald tale of her recovery, OK she's broken her anonymity in print, but without in any way bringing AA into question or controversy. Yes she tells how she still attends meetings and yes she has reproduced the 12 steps in an appendix at the back of the book, but man what a fantastic read. What a joy to read that this woman is humble but at the same time is not servile nor scraping.

I've read several biogs, Eric Clapton's is great, Midge Ure's I didn't like because he comes across as a very bitter man with a drink problem wich he thinks he is cured of.

I hope I haven't contravened any regs with this post.