I am not meticulous about day to day timings  in my blog. There is more that doesn’t happen than is depicted in these pages. So here’s a timed day.  5.30am, wake bath dress and sit at computer and at 6.15am  answer  emails. The ones that need answering have a
red flag next to them: the flags disappear. At 8am the landscape gardener arrives and  The Journalist leaves. He’s brilliant and we talk garden: The Journalist and I are having a major garden overhaul and Rob  has the vision to realise it. At 9am I have a forty five minute discussion with my live gigs agent who keeps me up to speed with enquiries from around Britian and the world.

At 10am I travel to Islington where I drop into the bank and cross Upper St to get a brand new LG Viewty Phone – I’ve wanted one for ages. At twelve noon I travel by to Oxford Circus where I meet my dear and close friend Nkechi Abili.  We haven’t seen each other in too long and I realise how close we really are. Her father  has passed recently.  We have coffee and talk the world through the eye of grief. We say goodbye at 1.15pm and I catch the tube (the underground rail) to   The Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square to pick up my travel card which I’d left thereearlier this week.  I have a walk down Sloane street to soak in some Chelsea.2pm.

at 2.15pm return to Sloane Square tube station where I coincidentally I see The Journalist. We laugh a lot and catch the tube.  I get off at Notting Hill and change to central Line where I alight at White City to BBC.

At 2.45am I arrive at The Simon Mayo Show which won a Sony Award on Monday: The programme has two million listeners. I review two  for Simon Mayo’s Book Panel. The authors who we are reviewing are also there. The books are The Story of Forgeting and The Lighted Rooms. They are both astounding.  I am kicking myself for saying that one book felt very close to being autobiographical but  I did say that “maybe the more autobiographical book will happen in the future”.  The author though not happy about my comment  did actually admit that it was close to his story and that he would be writing a more autobiographical piece next.   

4pm travel to Tottenham Court Road and at 4.4o go to  Yo Sushi for Dinner with co-reviewer and writer Anita Sethi at Tottenham Court Road. Anita is Mancunian, writes freelance for The Guardian and writes books too. She’s fiercly intelligent and fun. We talk about Manchester and it’s a pleasant eat. We part at about 5.15pm.

I meet The Journalist 6pm Birkbeck College on Malet St  in Soho  near SOAS – School of Oriental and African Studies. Eritrean academic professor  GAIM KIBREAB is launching his book Critical Reflections on the Eritrean war of Independence.  Ten years ago to the week war was officially declared between Ethiopia and Eritrea.  The conference room is packed and what follows is an academic and impassioned discussion on Eritrea, the war, the past fifteen years from then till now. Gaim is on form, witty  forensic,  humane and rigorous.   I feel priveliged to be here.  There were many quotable moments but this one
stuck in my mind “If as Marx said ‘Religion is the opiate of the people’ then surely nationalism is the crack cocaine” – Gaim Kibreab  Birkbeck College.

We forgo the continuation of event at The Rising Sun and travel home through London.  We felt that this final event of the day was an important moment. We carry the books of the day home. Midnight. Sleep.