I don’t know why I chose that title except for the fact that it has a “Hello” in it; several hellos might have been more apt, or “The Importance of Saying Hello” (possibly, though it’s not catchy), but I like the Lionel Richie song, and now you know that it isn’t quite right it may as well stay.

My doorbell rang this lunchtime. From behind the screen-door I could see my next-door neighbour, Wendy, standing at my gate.

“Hello,” she began, “you must think I’m terrible for not calling on you before but I have been ill.”

We were looking at each other through the prison-like bars of the gate so I pressed the remote button and one side of the gate glided back smoothly and serenely.We were still talking through the bars because it was the other side that had slid back; of course, I walked through and joined Wendy on the pavement.

“I’m sorry, I would invite you in but I’m getting ready to go cycling and swimming,” I answered.

Nevertheless, we chatted for several minutes outside.

Two hours later I was riding back from a blissful solitary swim at the house of my friend’s daughters when I noticed a young mother pushing her toddler in a buggy while an older child of about four was straggling behind. I smiled a greeting but did not speak.

“Hello!” called out the baby.

“Hello,” I replied, laughing with surprise.

“Hello!” called out the four-year-old.

“Hello!” I responded yet again and the mother and I laughed.

Heartened by the friendliness of the folk around these parts, I said “Hello” to the “Goth” schoolgirl who sat in a bus-stop.

“Hello,” she said, happily, yet quite surprised, as she ran her fingers through her boyfriend’s hair (he was on the phone).

At the beginning of Lakeland Court (my street) I recognised the car of Richard, the handsome Pilot. He saw me, too, and we slowed down to mouth the word, “Hello”, and wave vigorously.

A little farther up the road two girls came whizzing down on their skate boards. I thought one of the girls looked like Jade, Richard’s daughter. I didn’t have my distance glasses on so I wasn’t sure.

“Is it jade?” I asked as they approached, but by then I could see that it wasn’t.

“Hello,” I said anyway.

The girls beamed and their fair hair shone in the afternoon sunshine – they were a picture of health and innocent youth.

“Hello,” they called back (I had passed them by now).

I kept going to my house at the end of the road and I was smiling to myself.

Sorry, but you will have to wait another day to read about about my exciting exploits as a cloud shooter.