Well, the dog is lying on my Persian rug, and my sister is at her reception.

As usual when sis arrives, everything happens very fast. We went my favourite French cafe (9 minutes) did the North Laine shops (12 minutes) skirted the Lanes (6 minutes) and arrived early at the security barrier round the Brighton conference centre. (times are poetic)

My sister's dog, a pointer, sleek and powerful and half the size of a pony strained to follow sis into the Labour Party Conference - but she didn't have a pass any more than I did But I found it hard to hold her at bay. It was only when Jeremy Paxman came down the hill (I"m name-dropping here, not making it up) that she (the dog) reversed and hurried past him, in the opposite direction, the start of the journey to my home.

She is now making strange dream-type noises... Still generally, she seems quite low maintenance.

PS Jeremy Paxman has incredibly white hair. Does he on TV? It's so long since I watched.