jeffrey archer books
On Thursday evening, I conducted an auction in a tent on Victoria Embankment for the charity, Chain of Hope. The charity's success is centred around that remarkable heart surgeon, Sir Magdi Yacoub, who, since having to retire as a surgeon in Britain (on age grounds) has devoted his life to flying teams of surgeons into underdeveloped countries where he continues to do what he's done so magnificently for the past 40 years, save lives, particilarly the lives of children with congential heart disease. But back to the tent (Supernova) - as magnificent as tents go - and filled with some 500 glamorous guests. The Royal Ballet opened the show with a superb modern dance routine, and Rory Bremner closed it with his usual wit and horribly accurate impersonations. In between, I conducted the auction which raised my highest total this year, a staggering £835,000. The most surprising Lot on offer was membership of the Mayfair club, 5 Hertford Street (which has a 3 year waiting list), which went for, hold your breath, £50,000. As Mary pointed out, it was simply an excuse to give money to a very worthwhile cause. I don't know how the evening ended, as I went home exhausted just after midnight.