Category Archives: life

Breakfast in Trafalgar Square: the calm before the crowds

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With all the hustle and bustle in London, and endless countdown to the start of the Olympic Games, I’d forgotten to stop and absorb it all. It’s far too easy to pass things by every day, to let them become the wallpaper of your world, and not notice the detail.

inktuition trafalgar square 1

It was 12 hours to go and Trafalgar Square was warm with anticipation.

So it was with my morning hot chocolate that I took a few minutes to sit in Trafalgar Square and absorb the atmosphere: the people in their pink outfits (Games stewards) greeting me with a smile that looked like they meant it; the growing number of tourists taking snaps of the Olympic countdown clock; and the young man who offered me his paper to sit on so I wouldn’t get my dress dirty on the concrete seats (above which pigeons are always hovering). Continue reading →

when it’s time to let go

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Thirteen years ago right now I was whizzing to the hospital to see my dad who had just died. We’d only just him and been home a few minutes when we got the call.

It’s one of those moments that will always stick in my mind, for obvious reasons.

Question is, for how much longer will I stay stuck in that moment? Every year it gets worse, not better.

Why am I holding on? And why can’t I let go?

I want him to rest in peace. And I want to live in peace.

The Soho Santa flash mob and the writer who’d love to join in

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Flash-mob Santas take over Soho, London.

As I found myself flung amongst flash-mob Santas in Soho (London) recently, it reminded me of the distance that writers keep from the world while being fully immersed in it, fascinated by it, and dependent on it.

I was passing through an area of the capital that I hadn’t found myself in for some time – and the memories winked and flickered at me from the Continue reading →

change to the power of three

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Three days into my boat trip on the Broads, and I’m reflecting on how quickly I adapt to new surroundings. It takes me three days, in fact.

What began as resistance to relaxing, complaints about the crampedness on board, and a feverish need to stay connected to the outside world via mobile and dongle, has transformed into the extent of my new world. Home is forgotten – as is work and ‘normal’ life – and I’m enjoying just being in the moment, watching the world pass by.

On holiday it takes three days to adjust. In a new job it takes about three months to learn the ropes and feel less of a new girl. And it takes about three weeks to let a new (good) habit kick in. When I took up writing Morning Pages, it was about three weeks in that I started to appreciate the value of them.

So, instead of resisting in future, perhaps I’ll just trust in the power of three.

photos after the London spending cuts protest

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The Ritz in London's Piccadilly a day after the spending-cuts protest.

It was strange facing the calm after the storm, walking down Piccadilly in London just hours after the riots. What was meant to be a peaceful protest against the UK Government’s spending cuts ended up in chaos, with buildings daubed with paint, windows smashed, and 200 people arrested. It’s not a sight I was used to seeing – and nor was the damage done to the iconic Ritz hotel.

It had been cordoned off and sections of the fascia were boarded up, so workers could clean up the mess and restore it to glory. I felt such a sadness at the meaningless devastation.

Just a few minutes’ walk away, however, Continue reading →