Photo © James Wilson

Dame Today Gone Tomorrow

Evelyn Glennie

My day began in another time zone, with a dash away from New York where I had just given a speech to a conference of 1500 women. My timescale was very tight. As I crossed the Atlantic I experienced terror, panic and concern. Would the plane land on time? Would the dress I had chosen for this special day arrive? And would I get there in time?

As we landed at Heathrow it suddenly occurred to me that the dress might not fit properly, and I did not have a plan B. As I passed through customs I found my driver and there he was with the dress. I rushed to change into it. It had been created specially for the occasion in a wonderful red which fitted - to my relief - beautifully. ... (continues)