Emails - a help or a curse?

As most people who know me have by now realised, I love email.

I can have a conversation with someone I couldn't normally speak to because they're busy when I'm free, but I can send an email and they can respond when they can, and vice versa.

However - as my friends and acquaintances will realise, I do quite a lot of things - I'm into politics, I work practically full-time, I volunteer and I campaign on anything from vegetarianism to government policies. On top of these, I love cooking and gardening (when the weather's fit), I read novels and I like puzzles (they are my 'me-time activities').

Everyone needs a little time to themselves to keep them sane, but when I take time out now, I miss things. It's very difficult to weed out those emails you no longer need, but I am still interested in many of the causes - I just don't have time to read them all, and I don't believe anyone should work (or volunteer) all their waking hours.

So what's the solution? I can't bear the thought of having them come into my phone as they arrive, so my phone would be constantly pinging as some people do. In any case, the coverage in this part of the country is pretty patchy and there is no chance that I would read emails while driving, so I'd still end up with a backlog.

Is there an answer? Or shall I just ignore the ones I can't get to? Answers on a postcard please - I might just read those!

Get Carter in Doncaster

I wasn't sure about going all the way to Doncaster to see Get Carter - it's not my absolutely favourite novel, but I'm so glad I did. The https://www.northernstage.co.uk/ production was superb - dark, menacing and gritty in a way the Michael Caine movie could never have been.

Kevin Wathen as Jack Carter was perfect, with northern accent and the ability to turn from nice young man into terrifying vicious monster in a moment. The set was magnificent - totally adaptable at a moment's notice - so clever!

It was a shame that the theatre was so empty - I know it was Saturday afternoon and football's on the telly, but really, people missed a fantastic afternoon.

It was also sad that the movie and this production were set in Newcastle. I don't think it says in the book where it's set, but it should be Scunthorpe and Barton on Humber - the Ted Lewis group in Barton are beginning to identify where scenes in various Ted Lewis novels are set and take guided tours around the 'scene of the crime'. But having said that, the North East accents really made the Northern Stage production work well - I'm not sure a Lincolnshire gangster would work nearly as well!

It's the last night in Doncaster tonight, so if you don't have tickets, it's too late (we heard they've sold out!), but you can still catch them in Durham, Salford or Southampton. And if you have tickets for tonight, spare a thought for poor Kevin - he's already done one performance today - yet I'm sure he'll be excellent tonight too.