Fantasy writer Philip Pullman must have thought I was stalking him at the weekend but he was far too polite to mention it.

On Saturday I was there to watch the moment when he opened a new children's playground near Oxford.

His bon mots were so apt when he cut the tape that I didn't need to trouble him for additional quotes.

I was shadowing him again on Sunday, this time at a far grander venue, Oxford University's Sheldonian Theatre.

On this occasion, Mr Pullman was giving an Oxford Literary Festival talk about his new book, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ.

There was a great sense of theatre as the writer walked in and sat on the stage alongside Peter Kemp, one of The Sunday Times' most respected booksmen.

For an hour, the two learned gentlemen kept the audience entralled, and afterwards I was ushered into the basement for a press conference.

The flamboyant Canongate publisher Jamie Byng gave an introduction and the well-attended press conference began.

It's not often I get to chase a top writer around twice in one weekend and now I'm looking forward to reading the new book.

I was lucky enough to get a preview/review copy, which I collected from the green room at Christ Church, together with an audio CD of the author reading his work.

I expect I shall always regret missing John le Carre's talk at the festival, but you can't go to everything, and at least I can say I was there at the Sheldonian when Philip Pullman re-told the story of Jesus.