A terrible thing about getting oldish is that your friends start dying, and in the last ten years I have lost seven or eight of my closest.

And it's impossible for me to read Henry James.

And the second question, can poetry be taught? I didn't think so.

Well, I'm a light traveller. I chuck things away.

People haven't got the interest in long long works these days. A lack of interest which I share.

I used to fish the Border rivers, but nowadays you have to queue up for a shot and I can't stand that.

I just didn't want to shoot other people.