Echo Editor's Blog

Mr Brown cut to the chase just a bit too late for our deadlines yesterday.

Do I look bothered?

Should I be?

We got the detail of his budget speech online, even if it missed the print product. And in all honesty (you tell me) is not having the budget in the paper such a big deal anyway?

In today's morning newspapers we see acres of space devoted to something most people knew the bones of halfway through yesterday afternoon anyway. Is anyone going to plough through pages of the stuff today?

Yesterday, morning newspaper editors were telling me they were carrying it out of duty even though it was boring.

We've got a couple of pages today but I bet they are the least well read in the whole paper - if only because it's old hat now.

Me? I'm £183 a year better off. Almost enough to pay for the creative writing wekend Harry wants to go on with the school.

In Birmingham at meeting yesterday. Supposed to get back for 6pm to present Liverpool Echo/MSIF Kickstart Awards to exciting new businesses at the Hope St Hotel. Stuck on the M6 and no chance.

Mobilised my deputy Andy Campbell. So he dashed off to get his best suit and headed for Hope St with a hastily penned speech in his pocket.

5.40pm and get text from Asst Editor Andrew Edwards:

'Seagull has just shat all over Campbell!...Covered in it.'

I'm pleased to report the show went on and there's a full report and pictures (of the event, not the incident) in tomorrow's Echo.

Three days until half marathon. Have cold and sore throat. Stiff thighs and painful right knee. Sure all psychological due to nerves. Have to pull myself together.