You should have been there. I will have photos any minute but one person`s will not upload for me and Polly at the bookshop hasn`t sent hers. She is probably still lying down. A whole roomfull of children packed the floor - literally, though there were also some benches which were packed too - of Jaffe and Neale`s bookshop in Chipping Norton. Quite a few grown-ups came too. There were old friends and new, there were balloons and a fantastic picture of the Castle on the shop window; there was a cake to end all cakes with an edible copy of the book cover on top. It was huge and chocolate and arrived by post  in about 20 boxes. If ever you want a special cake either in an unusual shape or with a photo  or other image on top I recommend you go to www.caketoppers.co.uk. They did us proud and only crumbs were left.

After I had read  from the book and talked a bit there were questions, including some very good ones from members of the school book group, then while I signed away, people did the Treasure Hunt - sticking pins in a map of Gullywith and area - and hunted for marked stones in a bran tub.

It was the best book launch in the history of  book launches and I came home and slept for 2 hours. When I woke up I discovered that the bets I had put on the Grand National and associated Aintre races AGES ago and forgotten about, had all come in and I had won a nice wodge of sponduliks.

Anyone who knows the origins of the word sponduliks, please tell.

The Elder Daughter has been here helping re-the launch and she and I went out to our local pub and had  a slap-up supper courtesy of  Comply or Die.

I went to bed tired but happy and when I drew up the blind this morning outside my window was Narnia. The most magically perfect 3 inches if crisp thick untramelled snow in the history of the world.

It`s been that sort of weekend.