Mortimer, a former barrister, a distinguished playwright, and the author of the hugely popular Rumpole series of tales, provides the third installment of his autobiography. Trapped in an increasingly uncooperative body, the 75-year-old author still approaches life and work with an amazingly energetic zeal.

The dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is a very rare small mammal here in Leicestershire and this county forms the northern most limit of its range within England. The field characters of this delightful mouse-like animal shows a more bushy tail than other mice, the upper-parts are of rich yellowish-brown or yellowish-red with creamy-white under-parts. Its habitat is one of deciduous woodland and hedgerow where a number of tree and shrub species thrive e.g. ash, oak, birch and hazel. The low growing shrubs include bramble, honeysuckle and hawthorn etc. which forms the important under-story where the dormouse can hide and feed unmolested.