Spend until after lunch chairing a Community Crime and Policing Conference at Parliament but then whipped back to grab an hour and a half at the Annual Knit & Stitch Exhibition at Ally Pally. I try and go every year – but I’m working right through the weekend so no time then. I knit! I know this will ruin my image (such as it is) but I love knitting. Since being elected though I really haven’t had much time and the last thing I knitted took four years. And to add insult to injury, when I finished and put it on it didn’t fit and was ghastly. But I just got an urge to knit something new – and having just got back I didn’t actually find a pattern which is just as well as it would probably take about 10 years for the next one.

I like quite high fashion knits and stopped at one stand as I quite liked the style of the two cardigans on display. This turned out to be SIRDAR (who are giants – but not high fashion) marketing a new range which I think was called ‘Sublime’ which is to try and capture the high end of the market. The MD of SIRDAR was there and we had a bit of a chat. Now I know this is all highly irrelevant as it is personal not professional – but it kind of combined both as Ally Pally hosts this really National Event and it is one of the great exhibitions that goes on there. I go to at least a couple of their shows every year – but I wondered how many local people do go. Today there was a veritable army of women (and almost no men – a few tokens) marching up and down the exhibits. This is the heart of Britain – Womens’ Institute and John Lewis women who make curtains, and sew and knit. And I love it!