Interlude # 1

And there's a shower of rain.

And me and Duggie scramble under the huge green umbrella that we've got next to us, with the fishing stuff and sarnies underneath.

Thing is, the sun stays out, half hidden behind a whopping great grey cloud.

And there's a rainbow.

And I just can't resist gazing at rainbows. They hold me like a multi-coloured, ephemeral, hypnotist.

And Duggie's clicking his fingers in front of my eyes, "Oi, wake up, you're in a trance," says Duggie, "I was just gonna talk about Adam Ant. You remember how we were both into him. Before we got into metal back in the early '80s."

"Yeah," I say, "I remember you and me doing our paper rounds. Christmas Eve, 1981. You always said Christmas Eve was the best day to be doing a paper round. Christmas Day to look forward to and the tips coming in."

Duggie says: "I used to get about £80 tips. Less when I did the posh estate, though."

"You were really into Adam Ant's 'Prince Charming' album, with Ant Rap and Stand and Deliver on it," I say.

Duggie says: "Stand and Deliver went straight in at No.1. Great days."

"My mum bought me Prince Charming just before Christmas, a special treat. I remember her coming home from work and handing it to me. It was a gatefold album, but with only one LP. So I slipped a Smash Hits poster, that my mate's sister gave me at school, in end without a record." I say.

Then the rainbow starts to fade. The shower's over. Duggie and me emerge from the umbrella and lay some plastic sheeting over the wet grass on the river bank.

Duggie's chewing a marmite sandwich.