Hitting the high notes with my pals

PAINTING is one thing, black-and-white drawing is another.

This picture of schoolboys rehearsing for a school concert will be included in my children's book, Mr Kirby the Dancing Man, due out later this year.

When I first agreed to assemble my schoolboy yarns into a single volume - thanks to much chivvying from my beloved step-daughter Laura - I considered getting someone else to provide the artwork.

But then I thought it might be better with the less accomplished offerings of Yours Truly, partly because most of the drawings were produced when I first wrote the stories down around ten years ago. If nothing else, their childish simplicity fits in neatly with the stories themselves, and they do represent my recollection of the characters, so at least they have the virtue of authenticity.

Anyway, here are my mates and I in full voice, training for our school production of Pinocchio circa 1955. The show, by the way, was a rip-roaring success, but my showbiz career failed to progress beyond this point, mainly because it was clear I was never going to be the next Howard Keel or Mario Lanza.