Utterly brilliant conference dinner.

Welcomed by a caricaturist who was great at capturing the people I watched her draw. At the risk of missing my starter (which didn't happen), I took my turn sitting for her.

At the meal itself a magician worked the tables and I have to admit I've never seen such sleight of hand. Very very skilled. And it helped that he picked on me so I could really watch him closely and yet still never see what he was up to - including stealing my watch.

So by the end of the (also excellent meal) the much anticipated after dinner speaker might almost have been an anti-climax. But TW was as fascinating as you might expect telling us about his five year imprisonment at the hands of terrorists.