No, Grenville didn’t know what it meant either, despite his interest in words.

To be ‘polyfacetic ’ means ‘to be able to multitask’, but, before all of you who know Grenville, fall off your stool at the thought of him multitasking (and he would be falling with you!).

Grenville is one of those persons whom you will discover has been involved, quietly, in quite a few things in Ottery St Mary, since he and his wife, Marion, came to the town in 1974!

For one, he has often helped us with information for this column! He and Marion were very good friends of the late Phyllis Baxter. Grenville recalls the night, a few years ago, when, at an Irish evening arranged at the former ‘Tickety Boo’ restaurant, Phyllis came dressed in Irish apparel and armed with Irish hats for everyone. It was, somehow, inevitable that both of them found themselves, late at night, dancing an Irish jig in the middle of Mill Street!

Grenville used to work as a public servant; he was a town and country planning lawyer at East Devon District Council in the days when it was based in Sidmouth. He had studied law at the University of Exeter. Grenville enjoyed the Law but wishes that he had studied philosophy. He studied (and still does study) theology and philosophy, much of which inspires his poetry.

Grenville presently produces ‘Poetry Showcase’, in the Ottery Gazette, each month. He is an active member of the Ottery Writers and served for many years on the committee of the Coleridge Memorial Trust. He was delighted to have played a role in the Coleridge statue project.

Grenville is passionate about the Church of England, albeit, neither of his parents and siblings were churchgoers. This is probably because he had a convent and cathedral school education in Oxford. Grenville is sad to see the continuing decline of the Church, which he puts down to a concentration on old-fashioned beliefs and too much talk of sin, rather than the ongoing, daily practice of compassion, forgiveness and love. He sees Christianity as a way to life and the church as a place to actively build a caring community.

Grenville’s first book ‘More Honest to God’ is on sale in the Busy Otter Bookshop, price £6.99. He has written poems for the late Queen –for which he gained palace recognition- and has been asked by the Town Council to write a poem for King Charles’ Coronation. Grenville is writing, presently, a children’s story called ‘The Jurassic Family’ which involves some rather rude and naughty dinosaurs! Very much up his street, being still a child at heart – albeit, he does like the odd glass of wine!

Now you will understand why Grenville came to mind when the word “polyfacetic” seemed to be the definition of a person capable of moving easily and successfully from one task, activity or occupation to another- whether or not it is a proper English word or not. We don’t know yet, but it led us to get to know Grenville a bit more, who, albeit quietly, has got involved and has put his knowledge and skills at the service of this community so many times.

Grenville certainly fits the definition and we thank him for once again collaborating with us in the production of this column. Surely many of us are looking forward to the publication of his latest book and discover what those mischievous dinosaurs are up to.