I had a pal – a very successful pal – who said that all life is a succession of breaks and beatings. True.

I got a good solid thumping three days ago – skied way too hard in blazing sun with no goop or hat – beat up my immune system and got hideously sick. Could barely ski. Had to give two talks i n local bookstores in a croak and so on. Up all night, coughing and whining. Pathetic.

Today, the massive break. Flew down to a joint called La Quinta, outside Palm Springs to give a talk to a bunch of fancy lawyer (The American College of Trial Lawyers) alongside Justice O Connor and so on. But what a place! Soft winds, stunning desert-mountain views, great room and views (Olive the dog has her own patio) and the company of a couple of hundred of the smartest lawyers in North America. And it’s all on them! Yowee! And all I have to do in return is save a few souls. Easy Peasy. So life is good. Much of the time.