52 Shots #36

Clapham is treated to a magical dusting of icing sugar-like snow. The cars are all in rows, lightly coated like little Christmas mince pies.

52 Shots #35 & Random Act of kindness #2

Random Act of Kindness #2 - make cupcakes for your colleagues

52 Shots #34 & Random Act of kindness #1

Random Act of Kindness: rescue two refugee goldfish from almost certain death

It was like some sort of special forces rescue mission with Martin going high-speed (as high-speed as you can on the Brighton to Victoria train) to get the rescued goldfish to their new home within the hour and a half time limit, before they suffocated in their plastic bag.

Rescued from almost certain death in an over-crowded tank at a garden centre somewhere outside of Brighton, these two fish now have a home next to my desk, in the middle of the office. After much debate they were named John and Jerome after two rather disliked consultants who left us not long ago...

52 Shots #33

Me and baby Niamh spend our first 'Auntie - Niece' time quality together whilst she happens to be hanging out on this side of the world.

Niamh is so ridiculously cute I start to doubt whether we can possibly be related.

Goings-on

Outside my window at the moment, the activity level is high.

Every time I look, nature is frantically making its final preparations before the cold really hits.

The fat, sleek squirrels sprint along the fence tops like slightly crazed mothers on Christmas shopping duties. And Mr & Mrs Fox have taken to climbing trees or conquering roofs to complete their foraging for the season, still a little devious looking in their movements.

Along the streets the leaf carcasses now lie in a thick carpet, waiting for the winds of the autumn to carry them away to a place they can break down in peace.

But as the fauna finalises its winter holiday prep; and the trees strip themselves of their obvious life, that magical holiday feeling has begun to pepper London. Whole streets are bathed in twinkling lights, and as the thermometer drops, we begin to think of mulled wine, ice skating and thicker gloves.

52 Shots #32

On a Sunday evening, thousands of miles away from the actual event, a big, old house in Clapham celebrates the 30th birthday of my friend Phoebe with quite a tasty carrot cake.

Happy birthday Phoebe!!

Time goes by

Two years ago this week, I dragged a wheelie suitcase and a bunch of aspirations up the Clapham Common tube station stairs, and out into a grey and autumnal London morning.

Did I ever think that two years later I would still be here? Not on your life.

Just when you think you've got life sorted, you find yourself outside Willsden Green tube, after a disastrous job hunting day, getting a call from a recruitment agent. And then everything changes.

The path that I thought would lead to through nine months in London and then onto two years in Japan, has instead taken me a completely different direction.

But for all I gave away when I turned down Japan, I have gained ten times as much in its place.

52 Shots #31

Dutiful turbines slice the endless Gran Canarian wind

The small things

One rainy morning last week I spent my bus journey watching a mother and her small son play noughts and crosses on the steamed up window.

Game after game they played; the mother patiently tutoring her son in the art of getting three in a row in her soft Eastern European tongue. Occasionally they would both look across to me and our eyes would smile at one another.

They rushed off the bus at Elephant & Castle to get on with their days. As I watched them walk along the shiny footpath hand in hand in the rain, I wished he could keep the memory of this morning's lesson tucked away somewhere safe forever.

Now I have...

About this time last year I blogged a list of 'I have never....'s.

It seems that, without really trying, I have managed to knock quite a few of them off over this past year. Six in fact.

Just last week I swam in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. Pretty much like any other ocean, but was very nice all the same. Mainly because the air temperature was about 25 degrees and we were leaping off a boat, which at the time was lolling about a Gran Canarian Bay.

I guess I should start thinking about crafting a new list. Before I know it, I'll have slid down a bannister, in my new (stolen) shell suit whilst chewing on some snake, as I'm off to see the Northern Lights.