Who can resist the charms of Irene Adler in “A Scandal in Bohemia…?”

With all the important business done for the day, I decided to settle down in the sun and fresh air and contemplate my neat and tidy garden. My wife was visiting her sister and I would have joined her if it were not for my slightly ailing foot.

I sat taking in the lovely view and listening to the sounds of nature all around me, and opened my collected volume of Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Okay, maybe the above statements are not quite the memoirs of Dr John H Watson, MD but I thought it started well. I have indeed spent quite a bit of this afternoon in the garden and with the words or Conan Doyle not before my eyes but streaming from my MP3 player and pouring into my ears.

In my mind, the figure of Holmes is and always will be the late great Jeremy Brett. In my opinion he gave the definitive portrait of the character, as for Dr John Watson, he is personified by the late, and just as great Edward Hardwicke, to some he will always be Major Pat Grant (in reality Major P.R. Reid) in Colditz, but to me always Watson.

I suppose everyone is different, as they read or hear the stories they will have their own images, but Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke are mine. A very, very close second would be the 21^st Century versions portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, but I would never ever have Roger Moore or even Matt Frewer fill the roll. When you think of all the actors who have taken on the roll, Peter Cushing, Ronald Howard, Douglas Wilmer, et al, why did they pick these two? What were they thinking?

I began with “A Study in Scarlet” in a complete and unabridged form and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to say this re-igniting of my interest in the works of Conan Doyle and in particular, the Sherlock Holmes stories come from recent opening of The Diogenes Club (I would recommend the site http://thenewdiogenesclub.blogspot.com/ to anyone who is ‘into’ Sherlock Holmes). You can also follow them on Twitter. (I should point out that I am in no way connected to or with the site, its just pretty cool that's all).

Today has been the beginning of the Holmes legend, tomorrow if I get the chance I will continue with “The Sign of (the) Four”, after that The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Who can resist the charms of Irene Adler in A Scandal in Bohemia or the redheaded mystery of Mr Jabez Wilson, or the somewhat sad story of Miss Mary Sutherland?

If you don’t have the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes stories on MP3, or the paper version, BBC Radio 4 Extra are currently broadcasting the Bert Coules adapted stories with the inspired casting of Clive Merrison and the late Michael Williams.

Anyway, must get on with real life, dull and depressing as it is.