August 3rd, 2026
Monday, alone in the café on Nicolson Street where he writes on Tuesdays — except today he's not writing, because the Moleskine is closed and mum is at Edinburgh Castle on her bus tour.
What happened
Monday, alone in the café on Nicolson Street where he writes on Tuesdays — except today he's not writing, because the Moleskine is closed and mum is at Edinburgh Castle on her bus tour. He's nursing a tea when a woman two tables over stands up, crosses the room, and says: "Sorry — you're the Moleskine guy from Cadogan Hall, aren't you? I was in the third row. The car park bit." She's a comedy programmer from Leicester he has never met; she hands him a card and says, "Ring me in September." Status flip: someone in the industry has named the bit he has not yet shown the industry. Relief: the Moleskine is still closed and the bit is still alive without him writing it. Decision: he walks back to the B&B and tells mum he's "had a nice chat about books," and does not mention the card.