It was not my intention to become an activist but...

When our engagement was announced, the Daily Telegraph somewhat inaccurately described me as a 'Liberal Democrat activist'. Anyone who knows me would have got a laugh out of that, as I tended to describe my role as 'going to meetings so that you don't have to'.

However, whilst Ros gained a partner (and now a husband), the Party has unexpectedly gained an activist. Alright, I'm not prone to deliver leaflets most evenings - my lifestyle doesn't really permit that. On the other hand, in the course of my travelling around the country over the past nine months, I seem to have played a walk-on role in by-elections and elections across the country.

Our trip to the North East in April saw us campaign in seven wards, canvassing and delivering in Fenham ward, Newcastle, canvassing in Berwick North, Bamburgh and Lesbury wards in Northumberland, canvassing in Framwellgate Moor and delivering in Sherburn ward in County Durham. We won all but Berwick North - lost to an independent.

I've canvassed in Shepton Mallett and Great Dunmow, delivered in Forest Heath and Waltham Forest and tomorrow I'll start writing blue envelopes for a by-election somewhere in London. Ros has been even busier, a comparative blur of activity.

Strangely enough, I'm actually enjoying myself. The exercise is good for me, people are generally friendly, even if they aren't going to vote for us, and the candidates are fun to talk to, and it's nice to actually contribute to the process of gaining support for Liberal Democrats.

I suspect that I'll be quite active in the coming months, as the weather is nice, and there seems to be an unending stream of by-elections. So don't be surprised if a slightly portly bureaucrat strolls into town with a bundle of leaflets or a canvass card - although if this keeps up, the bureaucrat might be slightly less portly...