You may or may not know that I indulge in a bit of activism for Tibet. So there I was yesterday, annoying the Chinese in their embassy in London, waving a placard on the Panchen Lama’s birthday (Not that he was celebrating – he disappeared when he was 6, abducted by the Chinese – the world’s youngest political prisoner, and has never been seen since). My fellow activists wrapped a tibetan flag round my shoulders and instructed me to take pictures of it hoisted it right across Russia and Mongolia. Will do!

I was in London to give my fingerprints to the Russians, a requirement for my visa. Along with bank statements for the last 3 months, my son’s passport number and the date my father died (35 years ago). Oh yes and shedloads of money.