Polling day begins at 4am meeting in M & S car park to doll out our ‘Good Morning’ leaflets to bleary-eyed volunteers. I am amazed by the turnout. We have never tried to do a Good Morning leaflet constituency-wide before and we worked out to deliver it all in three hours we would need at least 150 people. We didn’t quite make it – but jolly nearly.

After I finish my own delivery I take a car boot full of Crouch End leaflets to HQ for Monica to give to anyone who comes free. As I depart Hornsey a bloke in the street says ‘Oy Lynne! I’m voting for you – gonna give you lot a chance. Fed up with the other two’.

And so the day went, knocking on doors and lots of cheery greetings – fantastic atmosphere. Funniest thing was that I met quite a few residents who said they had voted Labour but that they wanted me to win! Clearly tapped into the schizophrenia that has grabbed Labour (and the Guardian) between wanting to send Blair a message and having been got at by the Labour spin of vote Lib Dem let a Tory in. No chance in my view – but can well understand the nightmare vision of Michael Howard as PM.

Lots and lots of ‘good lucks’, ‘I’m voting for you’ and waves, hoots and shouted greetings as I go out and about knocking up. Don’t know how much you can read into such things – but atmosphere all very, very positive.

An Observer journalist comes to interview me whilst I am banging on doors in Cranley Gardens. I take a welcome break to talk to him. Nice guy – looks at me sceptically when I say I think we can win but that it is very close. I explain the background results over the last seven years that have made this even possible – and he says he will text me later when the result comes through.

More knocking and delivering around the constituency. Endless rounds of endless doors and endless leaflets. Day is uneventful. We hear that Labour are out in force in Woodside ward. My last knock up of the day is in Muswell Hill where it seems everyone virtually is voting Lib Dem – whether lifelong Lib Dems, Labour or Tory – all voting for us! Amazing.

As the polls close – everyone except me and my sister go off to Ally Pally to the count. I go home and watch the coverage on TV!

About 11.30pm my agent, Neil Williams, phones to say we’ve done it with a majority of between 2-3000. How sure? Pretty sure – although Labour apparently think they have squeaked it. Knowing my campaign manager who inputs the count tallies as each ballot box is open and verified – I know that the figures will be spot on.

As I go back into the lounge Dimbleby is just saying that it looks like Hornsey & Wood Green has gone.

I get the call to go to the count about 1.30am and off we go. A reception of Lib Dems, cameras and journalists – cheers and happiness all-round. In the count room it is silent and waiting for the official figures.

Eventually the Chief Exec calls agents and candidates to the table and gives us the result – and it’s official.

We go through for the announcements – and the speeches. And then – Lib Dems back to my house for a bit of a celebration. Although the hallway is packed out with people celebrating when ITV comes to film, it’s only a tiny proportion of those who have helped elect me – our 300+ strong team of volunteer deliverers who do their own street, the 700-odd people who have donated in the last year, my 15 colleagues in the Lib Dem council group, the list goes on … not to mention the most important group – the many thousands of people who voted for me.

I gave a little speech – and finally thanked my campaign manager Mark (a genius) and my agent Neil (equally brilliant). They are extraordinary – both of them – and together with a team of activists and helpers that most candidates can only dream of – we did it!

I had had it by 5am and went to bed leaving about 20 or 30 happy but wrecked Lib Dems downstairs. It was a fantastic result.