High Spirits

Last night the Alphabet team were the proud recipients of a 'Spirit of Enterprise' award, for our "inspiration to fellow entrepreneurs".

There was a marching band, a bun fight, a Senior Minister of State, music from The Carpenters, a wine shortage, Michael Ma (the chap who established the 'IndoChine' collection of high end nightspots), a hapless MC from BBC World, some bad girls in stilettos, and my six year old daughter Saffy. Altogether a rather surreal experience, but then welcome to the wonderful world of the SME.

My excitement was tempered by the fact that the award was a particularly cheap and nasty looking piece of perspex, and the accompanying certificate managed to combine UK and US versions of English - but a gong is a gong, and it has now been added to our groaning awards shelf in the reception area of Alphabet Towers.