I have been rather silent on these (and other) pages recently as I finished a book – apologies for the shameless publicity but more details will follow in due course. But we found time to visit the opening of the recent art exhibition held at the DPRK embassy in London.

Or rather, the first ever North Korean art exhibition in Britain took place, if you believe the Guardian, at the “secretive state’s outpost here” or, if the Daily Telegraph, at the “secretive North Korean embassy.” And so on, via the New Statesman, the Spectator and even the BBC. Some referred to the thrill of being on “North Korean soil” and talked about the first time that the British public had been allowed inside the doors. The Independent take was similar, but included a photograph of the embassy back garden, which it notes as adapted for playing basketball. Comments from the public were equally odd, including one that asked what precautions were taken against Ebola at the embassy and much speculation about why the embassy was in Ealing and not in Mayfair. This did provoke a sensible comment suggesting that the enquirer look at the respective costs of housing in the two areas.