I've been having technical problems inserting graphic attachments but have just managed (I hope) to crack it with the help of one of our IT stars in Oxford. So here belatedly is last month's visitor graph.

Later today I have a meeting in London's finest publishing headquarters, the Pearson building in the Strand.

It overlooks the Thames and has stunning views of the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral and much else. I couldn't find a picture of our headquarters in Basingstoke but I can show you a photo of a typical view of the Houndmills estate.

And here's the view from our Kings Cross office - courtesy of Justin Goring and his photo collection.

When Macmillan staff ask why we don't have offices in 'posh' locations the answer is clear. It is our customers who ultimately pay the rent, not us, and we don't think our customers want us to work in luxury. They'd rather have better books at better prices. Which may explain why there seems to be a strong correlation between publishing independence and ownership of freehold property. It doesn't work for ever but it seems to lengthen a publishing company's independent life - e.g. John Murray, Faber, Macmillan, Oxford University Press. Well, it's a theory anyway.

This is the last blog before the beginning of the Ashes series. May it be an unexciting, one-sided canter for the England team seeing us go into the fourth test 3-0 up. I somehow doubt it.