"Thank you, Tom" - paying my respects to a man who is far from dead

On a day so gorgeous that it could only be a harbinger of spring, I sped to London on a late afternoon train for a rather special dinner, one intended to celebrate the reign as Leader of the Parliamentary Party in the Lords of Tom McNally, who stood down recently.

On Wednesday, the sun shone as my train skirted the Stour estuary, putting me in as good a mood as one could hope for, and Greater Anglia co-operated to the extent that the train ran on time, always a bonus, before I took the Circle Line to a secret location in an SW postcode. I was, very unusually, very early, and was indeed the first to arrive, so I found a quiet corner and waited for the rest of the attendees to, well, attend, I suppose.

One of the unexpected benefits of being one of the spouses is that I get to spend time with some very wise, very considerate people, i.e. the other spouses. Ann Dholakia and Diana Bradshaw are two of those who are often present at Lords social events, and I tend to gravitate to their company - we all understand how this works and we enjoy each other's company. Ann, in particular, was something of a role model for my time as Presidential consort.

And, having married into the family that is the Parliamentary Party in the Lords, Ros's colleagues have been, and continue to be, generous in their welcome, which I suppose is why I make a point of coming to events when I am invited.

I rather like Tom, perhaps because I enjoy his sense of humour, and have developed a respect for the difficulties of the role of Leader, especially with a group as diverse as that which he led. I refer to him as 'Glorious Leader', which he graciously tolerates, accepting that it is meant with affection, and he has been very kind in return.

It was therefore nice to be present for a series of tributes, from his successor, Jim Wallace, his second Chief Whip, Dick Newby, from his Special Adviser, Elizabeth Plummer, and from a very polite, well-spoken young man called, and I'm hoping that my notes were correct here, Nick Clegg, all of whom told stories about Tom that made us laugh, before Tom himself talked about his pride in having been able to make a difference as a minister, and what he had learned about politics over his long career. He has now taken up the reins as Chair of the Youth Justice Board, something he feels very strongly about, and I'm sure that he'll fill the role with integrity and flair.

All in all, it was a delightful evening, and it was only the prospect of missing the last train back to mid-Suffolk that dragged me away in the end...