Oranges and Lemons

I've been working up in the Big Smoke again for a little over five weeks, and I'm finding that I just adore walking through the streets and passageways of The City, for that is where my office is based.

The walk from Liverpool Street Station south towards the Thames is a wonderful juxtaposition of the old and the new. The blue gherkin that has graced the skyline for just half a decade sits peacefully and aesthetically alongside the myriad of small churches and old establishment buldings that house such historical institutions as the Bank of England.

The huge NatWest tower, which dwarfs pretty much every other bulding in the capital with the possible exception of Centre Point and Canary Wharf, rises from behind a beautiful old corner building that sits barely three stories high, but which is crowned by a series of ornate and exquisitely carved statues who seem to guard it like a small army of ancient Briton warriors.

Most intriguing of all, though, is the Church of St Clements, which is just around the corner from my office block. Famous for the bells of the old childrens nursery rhyme, there is often an old priest who sits on the narrow steps, dressed in his imaculate black cassock, and holding a tin which invites donations, though he never solicits for them, but merely smiles at us commuters as we stroll by on our way to work.

One of these days I'm going to drop a couple of pounds in his tin and go and have a look inside, but for now I'm enjoying my daily walk through this vibrant and wonderful city that counts only Paris as a serious rival for my favourite city in the world.

Back From The Real World

After what seems like an eternity offline I'm back in the land of zeros and ones thanks to the lovely people at Virgin coming around at long last to hook our cable and internet up.

I have to say, though, I haven't really missed the net, and the TV has barely been on since the hookup, save for Jonathan Ross last night, and a couple of on demand programmes that we now seem to have access to via the telebox thingy.

It's good to be able to get back to my cyber scribblings here, though - not that any of you (assuming there are 'you' out there reading this) have probably missed my ramblings - as although I've finally been able to make a restart on the final phase of the latest book, it's quite cathartic to spill my thoughts onto this screen and send them spinning off into the cyber ether like a coffin in a deep space funeral.

Tonight's missive will therefore be brief(ish), just to flex my mind once more here in the Asylum really, but rest assured that normal service is now officially resumed, as from the next thrilling instalment which should be winging its way onto this page.....soon. :-)