Pam and I went to Florida this weekend to stay with my sister Jacqui and brother-in-law Richard, who live in Coral Springs, near Fort Lauderdale. We had two very pleasant encounters.

The first was with my new nephew, Alfie, aged seven weeks. His shirt says 'Dribbling for England', and he could probably burp and fart for his parents' home country too.

Despite his poorly developed social skills, we instantly fell in love with him. He is a real charmer, amply meriting the poster we bought him, which now hangs in pride of place on his bedroom wall.


The other meeting was with someone I haven't seen since February. Matt Gregory left his home town of Bellingham, Washington over a year ago, and has nearly finished his 5,000-mile walk to Key West in aid of cancer research. By a happy coincidence he was passing near Jacqui and Richard's home while we were there, so we collected him from Boynton Beach and put him up for the night.

Matt and I first crossed paths in El Paso, Texas - I was walking in the opposite direction. We spent a tequila-sodden day in the Mexican border town of Juarez sightseeing, comparing notes and eating boiled goats' heads.

I have huge admiration for him, (a) because by the time he finishes, he will have walked some two thousand miles further than I did, and (b) because he started out with just $2,500 in his pocket, the proceeds of selling his truck. He is also enormously likeable, and we obviously have a lot in common.

Matt was on the front page of the Miami Herald today. I felt envious and nostalgic as he vanished into the distance - I know from experience that he'll have a huge amount of adjusting to do after such a mammoth undertaking, and I hope he's as fortunate after his walk as I have been after mine.