Last minute as always

Well I leave for London tomorrow lunchtime, and have just finished packing (am I the only person who leaves things so late. I have also only just booked travel insurance). The rucksack was a present from ippr when I left, and has a bewildering array of straps, toggles and belts. I rather suspect it's designed to go up Everest, but with me it will only ever see the inside of airplane holds and bus terminals.

Also I packed far too many books to start off with, so have left most of them behind and will try to swap them at hostels or second-hand book shops as I go along. (For the literate amongst you, I have taken Le Carre's The Constant Gardener, Dicken's David Copperfield and Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London).

Incidentally, watched the excellent Prime Suspect while ironing/packing - I shall be much less flippant about using the word 'alcoholic' in future. Vastly better than the Cracker revival of a couple of weeks ago and very sad to see Tom Bell looking so fragile in what must only have been very shortly before his death. Now I am just emailing round some people with the address of the blog, and then my last night in Gateshead til january.