Hugo Barnacle

Day One

1998. Quartet Books, 1999.

Mattie in the Regent's Park walked slowly from the bandstand sorting all the notes and sketches that he'd taken in his head to put down later. There had to be enough room underneath the floor to put to use and that five-lever lock there on the access hatch was easily dealt with. The little signboard had those brackets, like for slotting in the odds at the races. So they must put the performances up there, but if that only happened on the day he'd have to watch and see how regular it was and who was playing. If he got the St John's Ambulance Brigade band by mistake or schoolkids the publicity could backfire.

On the 2nd April 1982 a variety of people are going about their lawful and unlawful business. Mattie is a fictional character, but there was a real IRA plot to blow up the bandstand: it went into effect three months later, on the 20th July, killing seven military bandsmen. See the Hames entry for a factual account of the aftermath of the explosion. Mattie turns out to have an additional reason for visiting the park.

He drew out from his parka pocket his expensive little green pair of binoculars and trained them on the island in the lake...It was nesting. On the big trees there. No sign of the other one. He watched, watched and was suddenly rewarded. The great S neck reared, the spear bill skyward, and the great grey wings and reedlike legs unfolded, and with a beat at first heavy but soon easier, near silent, the great ungainly beauty of a bird took flight. Mattie ogling a heron.

Another character, walking across the park, encounters two rollerskaters showing off their skills in the Broad Walk, and has a confrontation with a squirrel.