January 1930 and I have just been asked by Leitz Optische Werke to review the latest version of their miniature marvel of technology, the Leica I Model A miniature camera. It is truly revolutionary. Because it uses 35mm cine film you can feed enough stock into a little steel cassette to allow up to 36 pictures without having to stop and reload. It’s also very advanced, with automatic features such as a knob that advances the film by exactly one frame at a time and cocks the shutter simultaneously.

First day with the new Leica Q and what to do? Fortunately there's always something to do in London Town. So I donned my best grubby mac and headed down to Hyde Park where I promised Quentin the Leica a sight of a strange collection of birthday-suited eccentrics on bikes. Today was the annual London Naked Bike Ride and eco-minded cyclists had gathered from all four corners of Britain to demonstrate en masse, preferably wearing as little clothing as possible. Quite by chance, I discovered that at least half the spectators (all with cameras) were Chinese. "Why?", I asked a couple. "Because it isn't allowed in China." Good enough reason.

Readers of a nervous disposition should on no account click the link to read more of this stuff.

A quiet Friday lunch in central London and in came a call from Vijay Sebastian at Leica Store Mayfair: My review camera, the new Leica Q, had arrived from Germany. This was somewhat unexpected since it is barely two days since I attended the press launch in the conference room opposite the store. Of course I had to do a quick scuttle in the direction of Bruton Place.

One of Britain's oldest independent camera dealers and certainly the oldest Leica agency, R.G.Lewis, will put up the shutters for the last time on Saturday. The closure brings to an end one of the most remarkable chapters (or, perhaps, books would be a more accurate description) in photographic history.