It seems I'm in divine company. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has been talking to Radio 4 about how he's deaf in one ear:

"I've got what I suppose could be described as a very, very mild minor disability in that I have a completely non-functioning left ear, it's there purely for decorative purposes. And what strikes me about getting used to living with that, which I've had since I was two years old, is, I suppose, the need to explain an invisible problem to people and to do that in a way that doesn't immediately put them at a disadvantage. Do you start a conversation at the dinner table by saying, 'Incidentally, I shan't be able to hear a word you're saying, I'm deaf in my left ear?' And where do you go from there? But I'm also aware of how it impacts on other things - the fact that in a strange way it helps me sleep better, because I only have to put one ear on the pillow, and that it also gives me a strain in my neck and shoulders if I'm turning round at an odd angle to listen to people on public occasions. So this very, very small experience is one that sends out tendrils in different directions. It makes me think about invisible disability - what is it that I don't see that's likely to be a problem; it makes me think about how something apparently very trivial and very local can actually affect the whole of your body without your quite realising it."

Regular readers of this blog will recall that I share His Grace's views about the advantages of single sided hearing loss in relation to having a kip. I don't find public speeches and dinner table conversations as difficult to follow as he evidently does. But since Dr Williams and I are deaf in different ears, prospective hosts should be careful never to seat me on his left-hand side if they want the conversation to flow freely.

(You can listen to the rest of the programme here.)