Autumn sunrise on the way to work 

View from my side of the office - I believe the dome-topped building is the Royal Albert Hall (see below) 

View from the office - Thursday was the most gorgeously warm day. 

Leaf-scuffing season is officially here... they are pretty good about keeping the paths clear in the park (much to my dismay!) but I did find this one corner just outside work which gives a whole 50 seconds of sumptuously crunchy scuffing!  

Sunset in Hyde Park 

London Moose

Feeling quite settled in here now. Loving the new slim-line commute, being able to do stuff after work, and coming home to peace, quiet, and my own Ikeafied space.

It's quite funny really, to think of myself as a "Londoner". After being brought up in various non-consequential suburbs, my daily wanderings now take me around Oxford Street, Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty and that unforgettable sax riff...!) - places you hear on the telly, or go sightseeing to, but not everyday on your way to work. It is strange to finally be in the middle of such a famous city with millions of other people. When I was a teenager I used to sometimes imagine growing up to be a professional in the big city and having this hugely fascinating job, but I thought I would have a lot more hoops to jump before I got to that stage - in reality, it's just me, thinking the same things I always have, just with a different backdrop.

One thing that strikes me about Londoners in general is that it's very rarely you see very relaxed, satisfied people on the way to and from work; everyone seems to want more - more money, more time, to get somewhere faster or to be further ahead in the queue. A lot of people seem to have permanently frowny faces which makes me want to start smile practice - although every now and then though you'll make a random connection with someone over something (had some more conversations with the Smiley Cyclist by the way!).

Do I miss Japan? Tough question. Of course there are people and places I miss with all my heart, but I'm surprised that I don't miss the foreign atmosphere more - I guess that partly has to do with still working in a Japanese office and still getting called Anne-chan every day!! Life here is completely different - in Japan I knew more people, spent like 75% of my time driving, and lived in the most beautifully inconvenient place, where everyone knew who I was. Here, I spend a lot more time on my own, a lot more time thinking, get a lot more exercise, and everything is more convenient (there's not much they don't sell at some price on Oxford Street!) and I am pretty much entirely anonymous. Things are still different here, and I am still getting my life set up which I guess has replaced the challenge of living with a different culture and language. The one thing that I really enjoy, though, is the simple fact of being able to make daily material things go exactly how I want them to, rather than some necessarily approximate compromise. I can buy exactly the food, clothes, necessities I need and am used to using with minimum hassle - the potential to build a life around myself that reflects who I am, rather than being assigned one, is currently a very beautiful thing...

Finally....!

Hey,

So finally, life has come to resemble something vaguely deliberate... I have a job, a place to live, am no longer commuting five hours a day, have evenings again, and more important than all of this put together... Yes, I am back online, with super-broad-broadband. Woohoo! So in celebration here are some pictures of a few things that have been going on (Happy Birthday Steph!) and my flat and my walk to work, just to get started...

So excited!!

Moose and a turret 

Outside the Royal (W!) Albert Hall 

Autumn trees on the field behind the flat 

More room 

Oh how we do love Ikea! 

My lickle room! 

My street 

With Kat at Buckingham Palace 

Pub! 

View down the Thames 

Eye-pods... geddit??! geez am I hilarious 

Views across London from the Eye - as Steph pointed out, the Eye is run by BA, which might explain why it takes almost as much time to queue for the ride as it does to check-in on a BA flight 

Moi at the London Eye  

Steph on the tube... it could be you! 

My office! 

Hyde Park... home to cyclists of the smiley kind, runners and squirrels, and the occasional horse 

My very strong man! Just look at those rippling muscles! 

My walk to work: Hyde Park Corner