The Compliment At the Pharmacy I met Hans, an old friend I didn't recognise him at first he wore glasses and had a Nordic face I thought it was me ten years ago; he has a sheep farm, the Germans, are an industrial people. At the green-grocer, I met an Irish woman she recognised me from one of my books she has some of them and I was chuffed. When I meet someone who has read my books, it is not often, I take a step back in fear they might be critical of my spelling- mistakes I have no self- confidence therefore to meet one who likes what I have written and does not tell me how to write I grow a little and decorously blush and go home tell my wife all about it then we have lunch and I have to clean the dishes.