Boys Toys

And so to the grand fundraising event for Leukaemia Busters - a very worthy charity which raises money for medical resarch. Their way of working has been threatened by an EU directive and I had got involved (along with Alan Whitehead, John Denham and a couple of MEPs) in trying to get across the message that the proposals posed a real threat to the way we carry out some of our trial sin this country (namely a collaboration between academe and the NHS).

I usually turn down invitations to balls and charity dinners as they are not usually my cup of tea bit as I said earlier this is a worthy charity and the event was a themed one - a "Top Gear " dinner dance and charity auction held at Beaulieu. There was an anti factor as I thought that Jeremy Clarkson might be there but when I learnt that that was not on the cards I knew that I would be able to attend without raising my blood pressure.

It was actually a fun evening. There was an opportunity to look round part of the museum prior to the dinner and although I had visted a number of times in the distant past there were some entertaining additions to the collection such as Uri Gellers car (covered in bent spoons) and the old Trotters trading three wheeler - as driven by Del boy.

The auction was our down fall and I ended up bidding £85 for a picture of David Essex (my childhood heart throb) but was spectacularly outdone by hubby (Bill) who bid a silly amount of money for a Jame Bond gold DVD. Little does he know that I shall be approaching him for donations to the campaign fund.