This and that

Feel guilty if I don't come back here from time to time and post something - just in case any of you are still turning up to look! Have you noticed how blogs have a tendency just to die on you (other people's blogs, I mean)? It's happened to me rather a lot. You'll find a few of them via the links on the right. I leave the links in there, vainly checking in every few days and hoping that something will have changed (and dreading the moment when I find that that whole site has been deleted). It's like losing friends - only friends you've never actually met in the first place. You could develop a whole new line in therapy to deal with casualties of the 'blog delete' button.

An aunt called me last night from England. She's 82 and as full of fun and mischief as ever, over the phone - even though she's hardly able to walk these days. I haven't seen her for about five years and it's ages since we've been in touch. It gave me such a warm, wonderful feeling that she rang just to say hello. The telephone remains, for me, an amazing invention.

The second draft of the magazine I'm producing at work arrived today. It looks superb, really great. If this doesn't make the boss get his skates on and decide to go ahead and print it, I don't know what will. I drank a glass of red wine and treated myself to a delicious Italian supper from a takeaway on my way home - just to celebrate.

It's getting cold now in Amsterdam but I've carried on cycling to and fro work, along the Amstel River and through a lovely park. I look forward to it, certainly the morning ride. It's one of the highlights of my day. You see kids on their way to school, boats full of keen rowers taking to the water, birds, trees, LIFE - so much more than in the metro. It's more than four months now that I've kept this up - ever since the July 7th bombings in London. Not very logical, I know, the bombings were in London not here but it feels a whole lot better than waiting for that unreliable, packed, dirty metro train every day.

Next week I'm back in London for four days - next installment of my course. I've only just tidied up my desk yesterday and started getting ship-shape ready for the next assignment. Oh groan.... I WILL do it in a more organised fashion that last time (won't I?)

Bye for now.