My Day Twenty Seven

When I went to Duckie at the Vauxhall Tavern on Saturday to celebrate 13 years of Labour delivering equality and LGBT rights, I thought I got the warmest possible reception (helped along by the fact I drew the raffle and in a lucky sign the winner was – a pink Number 10!). But my welcome, it turns out, was as nothing compared to the one Gordon got at Citizens UK. You can see him below.  That’s the man I know and love, and I couldn’t be prouder of him and of the commitments he made on Labour’s behalf.

He was speaking there at the end of a long and lively bank holiday Monday where we he started off in Basildon and Ipswich, but we met up in Lowestoft ( not everyone could fit into the team GB helicopter and I was the very first enthusiastic volunteer to go by train instead). I remember Lowestoft well from a summer holiday in Suffolk - home of the 'other Hollywood' - this one being the independent cinema where Gordon and I took turns taking the boys to tuck into popcorn and see the summer releases for kids. This time we were back with Duncan Bannatyne to talk about the special needs to seaside towns, and to join Bob Blizzard in a walk around the port, from where you can see the graceful off shore wind-farms which are generating lots of new jobs in the area as well as helping make Britain more green.

Next stop is Great Yarmouth with candidate Tony  Wright for a walk along the beach front where the beach huts are in tune with the election offering a choice of red, yellow and blue - though I notice that there are more red ones that any other…

It was a blowy day and when the wind came up in earnest we took refuge in the Las Palmas cafe for a cup of tea and chat to the owner, who is a great Labour supporter and we soon talking to all his customers. Then Gordon went back to London by helicopter for his big Citizens UK speech while I meandered back by train. But from the numbers of texts I was getting throughout, I could tell I was missing something good.

I didn’t miss out when GB made his Mumsnet trip later that evening though. While he faced a grilling on the threads, I watched from the comfort of my own home, safely lurking and not posting as usual.  So a day with seaside, storming speeches and a bit of social networking with the nation’s Mums. I don’t think you get much better than that.