Commuting, reading paperbacks, watching what everyone else was reading. Quite a few of us were absorbed in life at Barbary Lane, San Francisco. Oh to have a landlady like Mrs Madrigal with her love of herbal remedies. How could Mary-Ann do that to Brian and of course – Michael Mouse. Who didn’t love Michael? When I heard many years later that Armistead Maupin was writing another episode in the series, my heart, like may others I imagine, skipped a beat. Surely Michael would still be okay? Many characters died along the way but we needed Michael to survive and I’m guessing that’s why Maupin titled the book ‘Michael Tolliver Lives’ – to reassure us from the outset. Great characters endure, they do live. I’m sure that if I’m ever in San Fran, I’ll bump into Michael and we’ll chat like old friends. That’s my fantasy anyway