MY FAVOURITE MARTIAN!

Today would have been the 98th birthday of my friend, that brilliant fantasy writer, Ray Bradbury...

Twelve days before his death in 2012, I had my last email from Ray – sent, like all his electronic communications via his daughter, 'Zee'. Ray had been in hospital and David and I had been through the huge upheaval of packing, storing and then (a year later) unstoring and unpacking our accumulated junk.

Ray wrote:

Dear Brian,

Thanks for your wonderful note; it's always great to hear from you.

Zee read your  email to me and I cannot believe what you and David

have to go through.  Of course now that you've had to dig through all

your treasures, perhaps we should get you two here to take care of

this out-of-control homestead of mine!!!!  I love this old house of

mine and even if I didn't, I think I'd be stuck here because there's

just so much stuff.

I'm glad to hear of your new book and I do hope you'll send me a copy

of it when it comes out.

As for the Folio edition of F451, I was quite pleased with the way it

turned out.

I think Zee told you that I had been in the hospital, but this old

Martian is doing fine, so don't you worry.

I send you and David much love,

Ray

Of course, I did worry...

Six years later I still miss my favourite Martian...