Roland says he always stopped for hitch ikers. He hated the drivers who pretended they didn't see him on country roads. The secret of life is to become very good at something that's hard to do, writes roldal. It was a lovely june day and there were buttercups along both sides of the road. A man thumbing a lift offered me a lift up to london by himself. I touched the brake and brought the car to a stop beside him. i'm going right through london and out the other side. So it is. You write books and most writers are sorry, but you're not too ill-ill to call yourself a skilled trade