In England the weather begins to warm. Flowers start to poke their heads through the greenery of public spaces. Signs of spring bring hope after winter.
In Australia the days continue warm and sunny, oblivious to the sadness we feel. Our Autumn has come early this year.
Love you Dad - rest peacefully.
After a beautifully warm week in Bendigo, it's back to snow in the UK.
It's not until you see people clearing paths & platforms that the hassle of snow is obvious. To me it's still something special - a white blanket that makes everything look beautiful. At least it does until it melts.
I wonder if there's snow in London.
I'm travelling today.
On planes, trains & automobiles. As well as the subway. And walking of course. Hopefully I'll be tired enough that I'll sleep on the plane - I'm not usually very good at that.
Why does travelling make you tired? It's fair enough on long trips, especially when you cross timelines... but even relatively short journey can tire you out. Maybe it's something to do with the white noise of the engine or the tracks or the road. I wonder if anyone has looked into it. If I wasn't on the tube right now I'd check. :)
sometimes it's good to take a moment to think. to look at where you are and remember how you got there. to look at the direction you're heading and decide whether that's still the way you want to go.
sometimes it's tricky. the path runs in circles and you can't tell if you're still heading forward. that's where i feel today - uncertain of direction and no clear plan ahead.
i hope it passes soon. there have been enough grey days.
What makes us human? Is it our ability to think? To learn? To love? To hurt? All of these? Some of them? Or something that's difficult to define?
We are an imperfect bunch. We lie. We cheat. We steal. We intentionally hurt others. These are not traits to be proud of. But they are human.
Sometimes I think it would be easier to be a robot!
Went the wrong way. Wanted to walk along the Thames. Ended up crossing at London Bridge & got caught up in pedestrian traffic. Then had to wait for a packed train to take me closer to work. Not a good start to the week.
It's funny how one small action can have such an impact. A wrong turn and suddenly you're surrounded by too many people in suits. Too many bodies walking on the same footpath. But it's all okay if you keep a cool head and work out an alternative plan of action. Find your way again. Even if it's not the original plan, you can always turn things around and not let one wrong turn ruin everything.
Motivation. It's a strange word. The thing that motivates you. Something that makes you want to get up in the morning. Does work motivate you? Should it? Or is work just a means, a convenient way to get money so you can do the things that motivate you? Or an inconvenient way?
Someone told me recently that we spend about a third of our life at work. Another third is spent sleeping. That doesn't leave much time for the motivational stuff. So best case scenario would be that you are motivated by the work you do. ...but are you?
Not really sure what to write about today. My mind is surprisingly blank. Or perhaps so full of things that I cannot make sense of it. How do you keep lots of projects going at once? How do you keep home stuff from interfering with your work day?
I don't have the answers. Wish I did. Then I could run self-help courses & make loads of money with a small time input. Instead I work regular hours which become later in the day as the week goes on & I lose inspiration. I need to work out what motivates me and try to enhance it.
In the meantime I guess I'll just wander along Baker street.
We were sent home early yesterday. Weather warning. Closing the building. I walked through the snow. Enjoying the soft touch of snow hitting my nose. It didn't last. It soon became more like rain. Wet snow. Not quite sleet. Happily it was only for a moment. And all too soon it all stopped. No more huge flakes settling on my beanie. No tiny flakes colouring the sky. Just a fine layer of white on the ground. Slowly degrading with each person's crossing. Carving black footprints through the purity.
More snow?
Happy new year. A new year. New. Why do we spend so much time fixated on new? It's a new day. New week. New moon. New year. What about the cliche that nothing's ever new? If that's true then there's nothing to celebrate. So what's all the fuss about?
I want a white Christmas - it's poetic.
Low.
not sure why.
perhaps cos I'm likely to be the only one at work tomorrow.
perhaps cos I don't get the extra holidays that everyone else does - I started in December so what do I expect!?
so, two weeks intro to the job then do what I want because there's no one around to ask. maybe I should be pleased by that vote of confidence but I'd prefer more of a break. I feel like I've been working non-stop. I know I've had breaks - a few days here, a long weekend there... I just want more.
I'm greedy.
Horses race towards the horizon.
Birds fly south.
Clever animals sleep through it all.
Winter.
We take careful steps through the ice, trying to keep our footing.
Trudge through the sludge, hoping our toes stay dry.
It would be easier with hooves.
after a cold dry weekend, it's snowing tonight. Or sleeting. Either way it's cold and wet.
It seems like everyone is waiting to get on the next tube. Don't think I fancy trying for the next one. Might wait an extra two minutes and see how packed it is.
Today was extremely quiet at work. Lots of people on holiday already. It's likely to be a ghost town by Christmas Eve. But I'll still be at work because I have no other choice. The pitfalls of starting a new job in December!
Are we moving forwards?
In the past we walked. We ran. We jumped.
Then we tamed animals. We rode. We led. We travelled more quickly.
Then we built machines. We drove. We rode. We flew. Even faster than before. Technology gave us the world. We could go anywhere. Do anything.
But still we line up to squash ourselves into tiny moving tins. We stand uncomfortably close to strangers. And we consider it normal.
Which way are we going?
Testing to see how this will look. What if I add two pictures? Will it still work? Or not...
Crowded tubes fill my evenings. I'm glad I have a seat. Body odour is never a pleasant thing in confined spaces.
Morning walks are going well. A beautiful start to my day. Minature sight-seeing tours for myself. I should leave earlier so I can explore more of the city.
Do you like exploring?
lovely day to walk to work. clear blue sky and a crisp cold morning. no clouds - a nice change from Manchester. wonder how long it'll last. :)
