My idea of heaven . . .

Today has been one of those days I remember why I chose to be a freelance writer and editor. As it was a beautiful day in Kent, my partner had the day off and I had no pressing deadlines, we decided to jump in our geriatric car and pooter off to the seaside for the day - bliss.

After an al fresco lunch and a meander down by the sea, we decided to mooch about the shops, and discovered my favourite of all places - a real, authentic, characterful, crampt bookshop - my idea of heaven. I spent a good half hour immersed in shelves of books scattered through windy corridors and up wonky stairs, finding titles you just wouldn't come across in your local chain book store.

I could have spent the afternoon there, but I eventually realised my partner was bored beyond belief (sadly, he's not a bookshop aficionado). I did, however, come away with some great additions to my already stuffed-too-full bookcases.

I also played my favourite bookshop game - hunt the books I've edited/proofread. Today the total was four - which isn't bad going for a small, independent shop.

But the best part of the trip was discovering a wonderful new children's picture book series which had me laughing out loud in the shop (to my partner's embarrassment). Yes, there's nothing more inspiring and fun for me as a writer than spending time in bookshops.

So thank you, Whitstable, for reminding me how much I love books, writing, reading and my job.