Tuesday – an invitation arrives from Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council. Would I like to attend the conferment of the freedom of the town upon Judi Dench and Kenneth Branagh during this year’s Shakespeare birthday celebrations, when they will also unveil the restored statue of the Bard donated by the great 18th-century actor David Garrick, the first person to receive that honour? I think it has to be a yes: I’ll be there to launch my new book, which is a memoir about my life with Shakespeare, as teacher, scholar and theatre-lover. But it’s also about how the words of Shakespeare, and those of other great authors, can, like the words of the Bible and the saints, bring comfort at the most difficult times in our lives. I wonder whether I’ll get a chance to congratulate Branagh and Dench on Belfast, with its heartwarming portrayal of resilience during the Troubles.