Brussels

I was in Brussels all day and the weather was beautiful. At lunchtime I walked from the third sector event on Citizens Rights I had been taking part in over to the Parliament through a couple of the city's many parks. One of those is my first picture.

At my final engagement of the day , which was only attended by myself and Mike Neilson, our Brussels Director, I got a phone call from Kirsty , my Private Secretary who was caught up in the evacuation from the Grande Place as a result of a terrorist incident at the main railway station . Our hotel was within a hundred yards of the spot and when eventually we got back there very late the cordon was only a few yards from the front door. That is my second picture.

It was a frightening experience for all involved and I know people at home were worried about all of us too . The staff of Scotalnd House were fantastic and provided support and shelter as well as some normality.

Meanwhile, however, much of the life of the city went on and the view of the sunset (my third picture in the collage) is from a restaurant terrace, itself only just outside the cordon, where my brother - and many others - continued to have dinner despite the police helpicopter overhead , the constant twitter traffic of information about what was taking place (including the suspension of all train services for a while) and the sight of armed soldiers in the street below.