Best laid plans

Again, as is often the case with us, plans went awry, so we made different plans.

We went to the Silk Roads exhibition at the British Museum - showing how the Silk Roads were more than camel caravans crossing the desert and merchants trading silk and spices at bazaars, but a huge network linking communities across Asia, Africa and Europe. Fascinating. Then we met up with Clair for lunch, which was nice.

The plan originally had been to then return to Sevenoaks, pick up the car, drive to Dover, stay overnight and get a ferry to Calais where we could do some shopping, have a nice meal in one of our favourite restaurants, stay overnight and catch a ferry back the following morning. Anyone keeping an eye on the weather will know exactly why this rather crazy idea had to be cancelled . . . stormy seas are not to my liking!

So instead we stayed in London, spent a few glorious hours in my favourite Waterstones, the massive one at Piccadilly Circus, met up to buy the book gifts we had chosen and to see the amazing exhibition that has been set up - every Booker winner and shortlisted book for every year since 1969. We were both fascinated.

So, we’ve seen the brilliant London lights and we are now back in Sevenoaks and go home tomorrow.