May 26th - Reflections On A Rainy Morning

However down you feel at any given time, just feel lucky that you haven't had to endure seeing my ugly mug as your reflection in the mirror for the last 29 years, but thst's not the type of reflection I'll worry about for today. No, today, exactly 29 years after I first caught sight of this wonderful world, I've decided to do a different type of reflecting.

I've obviously had a fair bit of time on my hands recetnly and have found my mind drifting off to times passed. Thinking back on my hcildhood, being at chool, at college, at University, trvelling, living in London, the various stages of life in China and now back home again - and you know what? I can't think of a time which I haven't thoroughly enjoyed.

Being nostalgic? Looking back through my rose-tinted specs? Maybe. But as each chapter in my life has finished, I've always though to myself that it would be difficult ot improve on what has just been. Although that's probably as much to do with anxiety abuoit what is coming next as it is with what just passed.

And it feels the same now.

I've got no idea what's going to happen in the next few weeks, months or years, so there is that sense of uncertainity, but the comfort of now is pretty special. I wake up everyday knowing that I'm close to the people that mean so much to me. And it's worth me remembering that all those times I feel the need to moan about something trivial.

Appreciating and enjoying the moment your in now is essential.

So, 29 years young today. Guess I better make the most of my last one in my 20's!

(And for that filthy rich benefactor of mine that has yet to offer me the millions I was expecting for my brithday, it's alright - I can live without it. The money would help, but it could never buy that I've already got.)

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May 23rd - If You're Out There...

They gave me a real sporty little number yesterday - not one they usually give out as courtesy cars - so they had every incentive to repair mine asap. Which they have. So after yesterday afternoon's fun and frolics, I'm back in my trusty stead again. Nice.

Now this entry is a very personal one. It's for YOU. YES - YOU - the eccentric, philanthropist multi-millionaire 'whatsjamesdoing' reader.

In 3 days time I will trun 29. I am still an idealist dreamer. I aspire to a life where all that I love and care for can be put ahead of me and one in which I can turn my attentions fully to helping all around become better and wiser.

All you need to do is give me a couple of your excess millions on my birthday (May 26th) and this plan can be fulfilled.

I truly appreciate your generosity and look forward to my gift.

Begging ends.

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May 22nd - A Lucky Break?

Monday - this is it. I'm going to get up early, get out and get doing everything I need to get done. Being proactive this morning is going to to make this week productive. Right ...lets get started.

I get in the car, drive aabout 1 minute down the road and BANG! Something doesn't feel right with the left front wheel. It's raining. I get out and take a look. The tyre? Fine. I get back in the car, start it and try to move. Nothing. Lots of power in the old beast, but I can't make it move.

I get out again, into the rain. I cast my eye over the fron of the car again and something doesn't quite look right - but what is it? A couple of seconds later it sinks in - both the damn front wheels are pointing in oppostie directions!

All this about 3 days after I got the car back from the garage.

So the productive day/week gets off to a miserable start. But, heh, looking on the bright side, I was about 10 seconds from turning onto the motorway

So my lucky break came in the form of an actual break, that was good enough to happen before I could get today's and this week's speed up.

(and that's what went wrong with my car this week - looks like I'll get the pleasure of the courtesy car again ;p )

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May 19th - Courtesy Car Release

I have a car. It's not great, but it's not bad. It's not new, but it's also not very old. It's clean, looks OK, drives well and is in pretty good condition. Something went wrong with it the other day and it is costing about as much as the car is worth to have it repaired, but living where I do it really is a necessity.

So this week I've been driving a courtesy car.

The courtesy car is not great, but it's almost new and is actually one of the show cars on sale at the garage who are repairing my car. It's smaller thanmine, but has got a CD player.

So this week I've had the immense pleasure of driving around something which does not belong to me. I'm usually a pretty cautious driver, but when you are given something which has no connection to you and whose values is completely meaningless to you, you tend to treat it with a little less caution and respect than you might otherwise.

It's been a kind of therapy really. I'm a bit 'all or nothing' when it comes to doing, well, anything really. If I go on a 'health kick' I will go at it 100% from 0 and then from 100% back to 0. There is no on between When I am in a position where I have to be careful with money - as I am now - I will count every penny that I'm spending and then have one day where all that goes out th ewindow and I probably spend about 10 times as much as I had saved.

The car has been my release from being Mr. Sensible for a while. I've been trying ever so penny pinch and keep on top of things lately. The 'car which belongs to someone else' came along this weeks and it was my release valve.

Drive it like an ididot for a week and all fo that pent-up aggression is just blown away. And now relax...

So, at about 12.30 this afternoon, when I go in to return the courtesy car adn pick my own, I have to start thinking seriously about one question...

...what can go rong with my car next week?

P.S. Much more importantly, congrtulations to Elton and Michelle on the birth of their first child, Carter. He's gorgeous and I am sur ehis mothe rowuld agree that he was well worth the 20 hours of labour he endured to get him into this world.

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May 15th - Weekend Washed Away

Ah, that blissful weekend. Wake up to a warm sun creeping through the gaps in the curtain. A lazy breakfast on the patio, a quiet, easy cycle ride into the local farmers where I browse numerous stalls piled high with all types of fresh, beautiful, delicious food.

Fresh bread, a jar of mixed olives, some different cheese and a bag of fresh fruit, all of it safely ticked away in my bag, Jewel an d I set off on a bike ride. We go through the quiet fields to reach the river adn follow the tow path for another 20 minutes. We reach an old tree on the quieter side of the river. Green filed in front of us, bluse skies above and birds singing merrily in the trees around us. We sit on the blanket, read, talk, eat, sleep and soak in the tranquility of our surrounds. Perfect.

Saturday morning: damp, overcast, slight rain, cold. Weekend plans out the window, now lying motionless in one of the many puddles outside my front door.

Now I know I'm back in an English Summer.

You know when you're feeling pretty much on top of everything and then all of a sudden something happens and you realise that you aren't half as orgainsed as you thought you were? Well, that thing happened to me. And then another thing happened. And another. And another.

So now, on Monday morning, I have the pleasure of having to sort out about a hundred different things, all of which need doing immediately, and all of which are about as mundane and tedious as you could imagine.

Fingers crossed next Saturday will be a bit sunnier and by this evening all will be bit more organised and straighforward. Here's to wishful thinking.

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May 8th - The DIY Express

Spending all this time at home has definitely had its moments. Now those long, dark Winter months have passed and Spring is shining its way int oSummer, I can look reflect on being back with slightly rose tinted glasses.

While most of my university educated brethren ar out there acquiring knwoledge, skills and expereince that will have them flying up the sorporate ladder, I have made a full on two-footed leap into the world of manual skills development. It's a bit of a family trait really.

When my dad was a yougn man his father (my Grandad) was a foreman on building sites and any type of DIy that my Dad did around the house was met with comments like "You don't want to do it like that, you want to do it like this!" It set my father on a life of perfectionism in his DIY. And now he is passing these years of knowledge on to me.

Things I could do around the house that I couldn't do before include build patios, carpet floors, tile bathrooms, tile floors, build cupboards and wardrobes from scratch (non of the flat-pack lark), paint anything that can't move, build BBQs and a few others that escape me for now. Miraculously, the combination of my complete lack of co-ordination and power tools has not lead to any lost fingers, toes or limbs yet either.

It's been a lot of fun and I've no doubt they are going to prove to be money saving, valuable skills come the fateful day when I get my own home, although that look a long way of right now.

And it beats the hell out of sitting in front of a computer all day, for me at least.

And there is something ultimately fulfilling about actually making something with your own hands and seeing it take shape in front of you. The planning, the creativity, the problem solving - it all adds up to a good challenge and a sense of satisfaction at the end of it all.

Trouble is, those few pennies I had saved are rapidly disappearing, so I guess I should enjoy the last few days of it while I still can.

Still, there's really nothing like a sunny day in Britain in May to put a positive spin on things.

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May 5th - Loving London All Over Again

I know somewhere on this site (in quite a few places actually) I might imply that, in my humble opinion, London ain't all it's cracked up to be. Just to set the record straight on that count - this fine city really deserves its reputation as one of the best places in the world.

I went back for a 3 day visit last weekend with Jewel, couretesy of a free hotel voucher I acquired for the Crowne Plaza City (a grea place to stay, by the way). It's really the first time I've spent more than a few hours there since getting back from Shanghai - I figured that after living in the most densely populated city in the world, going back to a place where htere are loads of people wasn't really my cup of tea.

How wrong I was.

Although I lived in London for a few years, I never really did a great deal when I was there. Most of the places I saw, I saw at night and usually with the aid of alcohol. This time I went as a tourist and actually went to the centre of the city during the day at the weekend. And it's as good a time as I have ever had in any city in the world I've been to. If I get bit of tiem over the next few days I'll hopefully try and scribble down a bit about exactly why that is, but in the meantime I'll leave you with a few 'highlights' of the weekend, in the form of a few photos.

First up, the obligatory 'sexy shot' of The London Eye:

In its shadow, an artist finishing off 6 weeks of work on the Southbank:

About 1 minute along from her and you reach the crazy youngsters hangout, this time in the form of daredevil BMXers...:

...and of course grafitti and skateborders are never far behind them:

There are other street performers around and the day tripping kids make up a large percentage of their audience:

In Jamie Oliver's 'patch' is the ever popular Borough Market (great place ot re-energise if you're walking along the Southbank):

And you'll get more than enough energy for the day if you tuck into some of these:

A snapshot of a great last weekend.

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May 5th - No, Really, It Wasn't My Fault!!!

No entries in May yet because I couldn't get into my damn editor. I actually wanted to write something aswell, but I just couldn't! ARRGGGHHHH!

And it's even worse because I even have half decent phtos to show this time. Butg they'll have to wait a little longer 'cause has just cooked me dinner!

Lucky me ;)

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