In today's Times and Guardian

Articles are like buses, a bit; you wait ages to get published and then they all come at once. Last week, an Express column; today a major feature in The Times (£).

I suppose the Times article, which I'm quite pleased with, shows that if you get your angle right you can write thought-provoking features about most events, no matter how horrible they seem at the time. I've already had a very kind invitation from an American gentleman to come and practise shooting on his local range in case I bump into some more park yobs.

Freelancing is frustrating, slow and often humiliating, and every six months or so I announce to a writer friend that I've gone on strike or even more dramatically resigned, and the various editors of Fleet Street will just have to carry on without me. Trouble is they never seem to notice, so I think, "what the hell" and send out some more ideas. Every so often you get lucky...