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Last Wednesday we had lunch at 30 St Mary Axe, otherwise known as the Gherkin. Designed by Foster and Partners, it is the second tallest building in the City and one of my favourite London buildings. For years I’ve been meaning to see inside on one of the London Open House days so I was excited when Kathryn managed to book a table for lunch at the exclusive restaurant at the top of the building. The restaurant is a private dining club and so is not open to the public.

The very top of the building houses a bar with an incredible view. The effect is so stunning it is hard to describe. It really is at the top with nothing but a cone of glass above. This means that unlike most skyscrapers, the building cannot house the lift equipment at the top so a standard lift goes to the 34th floor and then you have to change to another lift that pushes you up to the 39th. This is the restaurant floor and then a marble staircase leads up to the 40th floor bar.

Unlike the day before the sun was shining and we could see all the way from Canary Wharf to Battersea Power Station and beyond. Check out the pictures in my new SmugMug gallery.

This guy is brilliant. The second one is even funnier than the first.

I used to love being in the Drill Squad at 10 Flight AIRTC.

It might seem strange to some people for a kid to want to give up his spare time to wear a uniform and march around a parade ground but I really did love it. We got to carry rifles and there was real pride in getting a sequence together and being the best.

We weren’t quite this good though.

Wilma stayed with us on New Year’s eve and she was a very well behaved little monkey. In the morning we went for a walk along the river before Jonathan and Louise collected her.

In the afternoon we had our traditional Afternoon Tea on New Year’s Day, although this year it was at the Lanesborough as the Savoy is closed for a year for refurbishment.

The Lanesborough turned out to be excellent. We had a table by the fire and the scones were particularly good. There is simply no more civilised way to see in the New Year.

Here’s to an exciting 2008!