Harper Collins' summer party
welcomes Allen and EJ
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Allen, EJ and Alan Wicker. - Photo by Toby Madden.
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MOST of us can only dream of an invitation arriving on the door mat requesting our company to join the world's rich and famous at the prestigious Harper Collins summer party which was held at the Victoria and Albert museum recently. As one of this year's authors of best-selling books (Endal) Allen Parton, with faithful little EJ at his side, attended the event.
"Everywhere one looked there was a famous face, it really was very eerie and quite surreal" said Allen, "but it is was such a relaxed and informal get-together of authors and I will confess that my little four legged chum really stole the show. EJ left at the end of the evening with lipstick stains all over his head... it is so unfair!" One only has to pop into the local book shop to see that so many celebrities had written their biographies over the last year and I think most of them had turned up to this event.
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CEO Harper Collins UK Victoria Barnsley, Chris Evans Radio One DJ, Penny Smith GMTV and world renowned Chef Nigel Slater, Allen Parton and EJ.
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"Sadly, due to work commitments Sandra my wife and co-author of the book couldn't attend" said Allen, "but as Endal is no longer with us it was so nice and so fitting to have his protégé there to represent him." EJ, who now is just over a year old, took the 1000-odd crowd with it's associated noise and bustle in his stride. "He has learnt far too quickly what is perched upon the platters being carried around by the waitresses and waiters," joked Allen, "tricking everyone into thinking he had not been fed for the last week!"
The CEO of Harper Collins UK (HCUK), Victoria Barnsley, proudly revealed that she has one of EJ's brothers, so the benefits and advantages of owning the new breed of dual-purpose Labradors very much became one of the gushed-over topics of the evening between two attendees.
The HCUK summer author party is now as much a fixture as Wimbledon or Ascot in the social calendar, though there were fears that it might not go ahead this year, what with the state of the economy and all. "But why should the authors suffer - they still work as hard as ever," observed one Harper hand, who confided that there had been some economies made this year. It was hard to see where: the catering was as lavish as I've ever seen and the libations just kept on coming, well after an hour beyond the official close of play.
I felt quite sad to have to leave at the end of the evening and catch the train home to Hampshire but it was so nice to dip my toes and EJ's paws in to the world of the rich and famous, if just for an evening. EJ just represented all that is good and respected in a service dog and the little guy never ever lets down his teacher - Endal.
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