I spent the day with HarperCollins in Sydney, meeting Kimberley, Shona, Cristina and Amanda. And James, of course. I like going to their office and on a sunny day it can't be beat. It's on the 13th floor which busts the myth that those floors don't exist.

At The Children's Bookshop in Sydney we signed books and met Paul Macdonald who showed me all the drawings by other authors who had visited. There are many and it reminded me of how well some people can draw on the spot, with big fat felt pens. They also have a brilliant table that is marked with paint from the children's workshops they have there.

Earlier, I was at the Kinokuniya bookshop in Sydney, where I met Allyx, whose name I'd definitely spell wrongly if it wasn't written on a sticky note for me. She has a beautiful shop and there were a lot of people in there which is very reassuring. Arigato Allyx.

For lunch we went to a French restaurant in the park that had tablecloths made from the same cloth as my shirt.