Friday 20th March, 2015

Ten boxes of books were loaded into a cab at 8 o'clock and driven from Southfields into the West End to set up shop for the day. John and Ginnie Murray had pulled out all the stops to make the event a great success. The shelves in the front room at 50 Albemarle Street had been emptied and cleaned. Fresh flowers and hand-drawn signs made everyone welcome. Strong coffee was provided and greedily consumed. My stock was unpacked and there was just time to hang the banner that Ulla had designed on the railings outside before John Saumarez Smith made his prompt appearance at 10 o'clock (followed swiftly by Jamie Fergusson).

The rest of the day passed in a blur for me but a lot of old friends, and some welcome new faces, took a detour from the bustle of Piccadilly and looked happy to browse the books. I am very grateful to everyone who came (including my family) and especially to those who bought - it meant that I had fewer boxes to fill for the return journey!

I hope to repeat the experiment at the end of May and coincide with the summer book fairs in London. I will keep you posted.