It is always exciting to do a quick trip to London – I am happy in my country bolt hole but the noise and crowds up there are a stimulating if exhausting change from time to time.  The train goes in through Stratford so one can keep tabs on the development of the Olympic site. It seems very busy – a marked contrast to most building sites one sees around the country! The whole place is buzzing.

This time I was going up to town with my father to attend the book launch for Geoff Simpson,’s Dictionary of the Battle of Britain.  It was held at the RAF Club in Piccadilly on Wednesday evening  and within five minutes of arriving my dad had been dispatched to the ‘study’ in the basement to join in the book signing, something which was to go on almost without break for the rest of  the evening.   This was one of those occasions when the veterans of the B of B  are lined up to add their signatures to that of the author.  There were about 15 of them in attendance, and when the actual reception started they (we)were assembled to be presented to patron, Prince Michael of Kent,  before they were once more seated at a long table to sign and sign and sign again. There must have been about 300 people at the event and they all bought books!  The stamina of these guys puts me to shame – all in their late 80s and 90s they managed to sign and talk and be charming for two and a half to three hours non-stop.

I was the lucky one, set free to wander round the room and take stock of the other guests. As a writer I suppose it goes without saying that I love people watching and many of the guests were stars of screen and stage, all with some connection, I gather,  with the RAF in the war through,  maybe ,a relation perhaps a husband or a father.  I am never very good at recognising people out of context so this was the classic place for pratfalls for me: Talking to stars, whose faces  I couldn’t  actually place.  I think I got there every time in the end though. It was huge fun and very interesting to talk to them all.  A very enjoyable evening and hopefully it raised lots of money for the B of B fighter association to spend on keeping the memory alive for a new generation so that they can honour those who fought for their country and hopefully help to avoid the horror of future wars.

Back to find my editor has read my revised manuscript and is very pleased with it.  Almost ready to rock!! Exciting discussions now about details such as chronologies and there is still indecision about the title. There are three possibilities! All very hush hush at the moment.