Imagination! Imagination! I put it first years ago when I was asked what qualities I thought necessary for success on the stage.

I am proud and more than a little excited to be asked to work with Faber in an editorial capacity. It is my dearest hope that we will produce some fantastic books together.

I love my parents. But I'm almost 28 and it's not fun to be asked 'What are you doing today? What do you want for dinner? When are you going to be home?' It just makes you feel like a kid. It's this juxtaposition of feeling annoyed and really lucky to have people who love you so much.

But inspiration? - That's when you come home from abroad and are asked: Well have you found inspiration? - and fortunately you haven't. But the impressions sink in of course and may emerge later: None of us has invented the house that was done many thousands of years ago.

My doctor asked me if I smoked and I said only when I'm working golfing or drinking. Then I realized the only time I don't smoke is when I'm home. I didn't even realize I'd become a smoker.

Major league baseball has asked its players to stop tossing baseballs into the stands during games because they say fans fight over them and they get hurt. In fact the Florida Marlins said that's why they never hit any home runs. It's a safety issue.

If I were asked to name the chief benefit of the house I should say: the house shelters day-dreaming the house protects the dreamer the house allows one to dream in peace.

And in terms of their crown jewel legislative achievement: who knew that when asked 'will government impose a new federal mandate requiring middle class Americans to buy health insurance whether they can afford it or not?' The answer would be 'Yes we can!'

If you asked somebody 'what do you wish for in life?' they wouldn't say 'happiness.' I would have answered 'excitement knowledge ' God knows - I mean many many different things but certainly not 'happiness'. It seemed like a foreign concept to wish for something that specific and that singular.

As the economy faces such difficulties more tough questions need to be asked about what the Tories would do if elected. Their ideology of free markets and small government needs challenging. That has to be part of our job.