endless helicopters

due to last nights failed bombing attempts, the city's quiet today. except for the constant buzzing and racket up in the sky, as all the news stations try to make something of empty streets.

in a mildly worrying way, the police held off releasing details to the news until 8pm, deliberately, so as not to disrupt regular work and commuting. they'll cordon of streets and shut down tube stations in the name of saftey, but everyone should be in the offices above the empty streets, busily working away.

sunday afternoons with the laptop

in between writing up a discussion paper for a non-profit i'm working with, and editing a colleague's sustainability statement, i read this and loved it:
marketing to the new middle class soweto + zulu wild west craziness in j'burg.
"They grew up in a mud hut, two blond kids regarded by their tribal peers as Zulus. So when the new dawn broke over South Africa, the Alcock brothers took the rainbow nation by storm - Khonya brokering land deals for 200,000 tribesmen, entrepreneur GG bringing the party spirit back to Soweto."

why the cost of solar pv has gone through the roof

they've all gone here: In the last 24 hours, Google produced 10,044 kilowatt-hours of electricity from the sun.

sunny days

i'm back on the bike, back on the courts, and back running (somewhat). the muscle tone is just gone. and will take some time to build back up.

and the concept of sitting in gardens at lunch is lovely but then my eyes start to hurt from the sun and i need to go buy a pair of sunglasses.

so i wander, and come across these. and then i have to go back to work.

new bike

IMG_2300
Originally uploaded by wonderwomanyank

talking

been enjoying my newly relaxed life, although struggling to regain interest in work. was up in glasgow last week, working with the team up there eating seafood every day and cursing myself for not bringing a sweater. went up west along loch fyne for a meeting, and spent the day fascinated by the crash of mountains and sea.

long conversations with a colleague about our takes on sustianability - achieving that reduction in resource use through existing global capital system but incorporating a recosting of resources (me- very natural capitalist / eco-moderist) or through a massive change towards localism - produce, live, consume - locally. also on the role of density and urban form in driving change, and the role of planning in addressing the environmental impacts of cities. it was a stretch for me to discuss theory with a knowledgeable colleague- i haven't had my mental opinions challenged in years, and i stumbled often. do need to work on explaining my thoughts.

its 3.15 on friday

proposal came off the press 20 minutes ago. 45 to liftoff.
to the 4th floor of the Bartlett at UCL.

then west, to pick up the new bike.
and an early night (i'm running on 3 hours of sleep, so 7pm sounds lovely)

and then the future. no courses until october.
time to cycle and run again, time to train up for the 10K on July 1
time to read, to see friends,
to do all that marketing work i keep promising to do.
but most of all, time to sit in the sun, doing nothing.

sweat and love

IMG_7673
Originally uploaded by MelT.

that mousse was homemade - 400g of dark coco 70% solids disappeared into the pot; dinner party last sunday at z's with melt, neel, nick, sam and laura.

the cleaners just left

we're almost on a first name basis now. and tonight, my mental mantra is "4 more days" "4 more days". 4 more afternoons remaining at my desk as the office empties, 4 more nights at the office desk, writing away. 4 more 12 hour days.

friday better be sunny and warm. 'cause i am going to walk out of this office 4, turn in all 20 pages of my MPhil research proposal, and celebrate.

and at dawn on saturday, head off on one long country bike ride. new bike should be assembled by then - this baby's white, with gold lettering.

there are so many things to look foward to. so lets get my nose back to the books now.