Surrounded by scary events that you cannot believe are happening, more of which below, I decided to lose myself in the new Harry Potter. Worry not, I will not publish any spoilers here, I have too much respect for Jo Rowling for that. Though I think most fans know the secret by now.

However, I will say it is again a testament to her increasing talent as a writer that a child's book can hold adult attention and have deep, well-rounded characters. A lovely book and she deserves all the success her talent will continue to bring her.

My other escape was to go walking at the weekend on the South Downs, the Seven Sisters country park to be exact. The weather was just right and in the early evening cool enough to take on some strenuous hills. Check out the pictures to see how beautiful that area is.

Now I have seen Quadrophenia many times but I was still incredibly surprised at the fact you could get right to the edge of those cliffs. We avoided looking over too close to the edge because the combination of gravitational pull and the movement of the sea made a drop over the side almost inevitable.

Walking is a great pastime, I've discovered, but you have to be careful not to get caught up in all that hiking jargon and nonsense about finding little parts of the world no one else has been to/seen etc. Much better to stride along exchanging greetings with those passing and taking in that scenery.

I'm working up to doing some walking in Scotland, and of course, I can always scout locations for my movies at the same time. Parts of those particular trails make the Seven Sisters seem like a stroll, so I think it'll take a bit of practice before heading up there.

As Londoners our lives have been dominated by trying to get back to normal after the bombings of July 7 and the subsequent attempt to repeat these acts on July 21. The knowledge that those responsible were born and raised in Britain with a normal and loving family life, has come as a real shock to everyone. I guess you expect the kind of people who would do this sort of thing to be monsters or stand out in some way. Again, as with serial killers, it could be anyone.

However, I won't dwell on this. There are people much more skilled in the news media who analyse events such as this. Suffice to say, most of the people I know, workmates and neighbours for instance, are determined we will not all be divided as Londoners. My opinion exactly. And nature always gives us something to help us forget the sadness, for a while anyway.

Fadin' out