Some weeks ago I booked three tickets to see /hear Richard Dawkins at the Woodstock Literary Festival, not knowing the day would be complicated by illness. That’s the way things are, I guess at the start of a new term: exposure to new bugs after weeks of holiday.
Techie came down stairs this morning looking rather wan. He had felt off colour a tea time last night. I didn’t pay him a huge amount of attention for this, but maybe I was a little distracted as my bother had turned up with only half an hour’s texted notice? (My bother is good at this and I’m actually rather pleased as I’d hardly see him at all if he didn’t make use of catering at P C Towers every now and then, when in the vicinity. A little more notice would be good perhaps.)
So this morning I held my hand against Techies forehead and agreed he felt pyrexial. (What did you expect? A thermometer? Crikey.) He had a drink and went back to bed.
Scout (now has become an Explorer, known locally as an Exploder) went to school.
I went to work.
(Cyclomaniac is cycling up and down Mont Ventoux for a week or so.)
I negotiated a lunch break in the middle of my day and nipped home, got the boy up and fed him. Later, when I finished work Techie said he now felt well enough not to miss out on the talk. So I had to drive to school to collect Exploder, drive back and collect Techie get changed out of uniform, and then get to Woodstock all before 6 pm.
We arrived with seconds to go and steam still coming out of my ears as Exploder had forgotten that he was supposed to be coming out ten minutes early to avoid the bus rush.
It was nearly an hour of talk, during which the eminent Richard Dawkins took us through the book chapter by chapter.
He is clearly an eloquent speaker, able to express his ideas very succinctly and neatly, I wouldn’t say he is a natural in front of a crowd .The talk wasn’t that engaging. There was no rapport built up.
Given that he was largely speaking to the converted and there were no dissenting voices I didn’t expect a great reaction from the boys. How wrong I was!
Techie was animated. Exploder asked for a copy of the book.
I bought one and stood in the queue for a signature.
I smiled. He smiled.
“I wonder if you could make it out to…” I started saying.
“I only write my name,” he said abruptly.
So that’s what I got.
The boys are trying to decide who has first rights on it.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Gluttony for punishment is to be taken as an hereditary defect then eh?
Apparently, Christina.
You have reminded me of a talk we went to by Kingsley Holgate, (AFRICA in the footsteps of great explorers) a self-described ‘romantic adventurer’, a great raconteur and humanitarian. Nothing was to much trouble for him.
Perhaps you should suggest to this Dawkins chappie that he writes books in two volumes (you know, a bit like The Bible) that way your boys could have half each!
😉
Very good, Soutie.
I sensed he was really tense: not really comfortable with the author reader interface!
However my reasoning for taking the boys was partly for them to see the author as a real person. I never had that sort of chance when I was a kid, and I think they’ll remember.
To hear him speak, I realised that his analytical mind and his certainty has an appeal for some folk and it is a deterrent for others. I would have preferred an ‘author interview’ rather than the monologue as this may have teased out more of the man and the background of his thinking.
(I have tickets to take Techie to hear Stephen Hawkins next month at the Cheltenham lit festival.)
Yes, the signature was legible.
I admire your approach, Nym, exposing the family to the counter-arguments, especially with Pope Razinger in town.
They are both healthy sceptics, Janus. Techie has just cone AS in Philosophy of Religion which refined his opinions.
Hi, Pseu.
Thanks for this. An interesting encounter which diminishes the man for me. I have a lot of respect for his lack of beliefs but it would seem that he may well have to roast in the eternal fires of Hell, if said fires turn out to exist, for hubris. Nobody has the right to be that full of themselves, in my opinion.
Sounds like Techie and Exploder are going to give you so many reasons to be proud of them over the coming years. Enjoy!