Today’s photo is a bit of a cheat as it wasn’t taken by me but I’m sure my friend won’t mind me posting it. The experience is mine (and his!)

The day started on a good note with banter between our tube driver and the guard on the Northern line platform making me raise a smile. Our tube driver was a fellow Gunner and was being ribbed for the weekend’s score (let’s not even go there!) And a productive day at work and nice meeting with an author in Gunnersbury cafe, which does really nice tea and to my author’s delight, Eccles cakes.

And in the evening I went bell-ringing in a church ‘local’ to me (unfortunately a good 30 minutes walk so I’m not sure if it can be a regular thing). Followers of my blog will have seen that I’ve been up one of the most famous bell towers in London, but this time I got to see the bells and have a go at bell-ringing too.

I slightly regretted saying so enthusiastically that I wanted to see the bells after the tower captain told me I had to climb up a fixed wooden ladder up the side of the church wall - I haven’t climbed a frame since high school, and that was many moons ago! And that’s the reason for not taking the photo today - I wanted my hands free for hanging on tightly and didn’t want anything in my pockets!

The bells are beautiful, and their sound is amazing. And bell-ringing is a lot harder than it looks! It’s less about strength and more about coordination (which I don’t think I have), maths and a little physics. The tower captain even gave me a quick physics lessons. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I publish physics books so should know this (but my excuse is I’m too busy commissioning people to write that i don’t actually have time to read the books - that’s what copy editors are for!)

A fun evening doing something so eccentrically English and quirky. Being surrounded by passionate and enthusiastic people is contagious!