You’ll continue to forgive me – thank me, perhaps – for light blogging until Monday.

I’m busy putting various things in to place before I embark on stage two of my semi-permanent technomadic experiment. I’ve spent the last hour repairing my trusty maroon suitcase with my equally trusty Leatherman – and I’ve just received the first of many, many hire car confirmations. Not a Dodge Challenger this time – we have to drive up a mountain.

I did want to drop by though, to offer quick-yet-hearty congratulations to Anna, Jeremy and the rest of the Penguin gang who have been nominated for not one but two NMA Effectiveness Awards this year.

I said this earlier on Twitter, but it deserves more permanence – I’m amazed by how good Penguin’s digital strategy is.

Sure, they’re not the only major publisher doing whip-smart things in digital publishing – Sarah Lloyd’s book publisher’s manifesto for the 21st century is required reading for the entire industry, and the Pan Macmillan digital team are geniuses to a (wo)man. Likewise, I’ve seen from an author’s point of view how Orion are embracing the future – working closely with authors to craft a strategy appropriate to each book. And they’re keeping an open mind, which is the key to all of this.

In fact, I’m pretty sure that by now every major house is knee deep in Web 2.0 strategy documents.

But while there’s brilliance cropping up all over he place, I’m not sure – right now – that anyone in the world is doing more interesting and innovative stuff on the trade side of digital publishing than Penguin.

The company’s partnership on WeTellStories with Dan and Adrian Hon’s Six To Start is inspired, even if the title of The 21 Steps reminds me of ‘Repton 3: Around The World In 40 Screens‘. And If you haven’t already checked out Spinebreakers and BlogaPenguinClassic (amazing that that domain was still available) then you don’t deserve to be able to read. At least not in the future.

Am I overlooking anyone? Is there a better team somewhere on the globe? Emails to the usual address and I’ll post a correction.

Right – I have various vital cables to order from Dabs before dinner so I’d better get on. I’ll leave you with a few bits of housekeeping…

1) If you haven’t received an invitation to the leaving event in the park and think you should have, email me. There will be pedalo racing.

2) Thanks to everyone who sent in video recommendations in response to Monday’s post. I’ll try to watch as many of them as I can before the end of the week and get a round-up of the best suggestions sometime next week.

3) And finally thanks also to everyone who emailed me regarding the ‘tired of London‘ post. It’s the biggest postbag by far since I got back to London and some of the mails made me ROFchuckling. In particular Cate Blanchett Rebecca who asked simply…

“Has it occurred to you that you’re just getting old?”

Every day, Rebecca, every day.

…

Tomorrow: that long-awaited reply from the Clift.