An evening's work

Having watched England get a paltry 228 against Australia last night, I dashed off to Selfridges for the launch of Tom Parker Bowles's new book Full English. Quite recently Tom invited me to go on his show, Market Kitchen, but I had to turn it down as I find it difficult to boil an egg, let alone cook a full meal. From there I went to the Ivy Club where Louise Patten was launching her first novel, Bad Money, which I intend to read over the weekend and will report on later. This party was full of politicians and journalists, and very different to the one I'd just left at Selfridges, although equally exuberant and fun. On to Devonshire Terrace in the city to conduct the auction for RAFT (Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust) a medical charity working in the fields of burns, accidents and disfiguring injuries. The best auction Lot was a trip to Finland to spend a day driving with the world rally champion Mikko Hirvonen, and learn what it's like to handle a car at breakneck speeds. The item went for £17,000 and overall, the auction raised £100,000 for this very worthwhile charity, headed up by a colleague from the House of Lords, The Earl Howe. Funny how I keep seeing the same people at charity events again and again, who give of their time and their money, while others just never seem to appear. Perhaps the time has come for me to name names. Let's start with...