Looking back to the church on the way to the train station yesterday morning... 

Sunset from Mum & Dad's Hakea Road driveway.... 

It's my Smudgeroo in Perth warming her fluffy tummy! 

Bye Bye Christchurch Court! We are moving out this weekend. Not looking forward to lugging everything and unpacking but at least we won't have to move again for at least the next 13 months! 

What's that on the roof of that car? 

It's a baby snowman!! 

Awww, what a lovely couple! Pete and Stu after the recording of their old school friend Gus & his comedy partner Lawrence's recording of their new Radio 4 series 'Untold Stories'. Very, very funny stuff! It is broadcasting some time in April...  

Snow snow snoooooooooooow!!! After the mildest winter ever it has finally got reaaaally crisp and cold and it snowed yesterday and last night - flurries of wet sticky flakes that were still around on cars roofs and hedges this morning. Photos coming tonight!

It's a maximum of 4 today too. I love it when it's this cold. I turn the collar of my pink furry coat up around my neck and chin and purrrrrrrrr!

Happy (Belated) Chinese New Year! This opera singer was flown in from China to perform in Trafalgar Square last Sunday as part of London's Chinese New Year celebrations. It was a fantastic day - lanterns and banners were strung from across the square, all the way up to Gerrad Street at the heart of China Town. We watched the lions being 'awoken' for the start of the new year by having their eyes painted on by dignitaries and their thirst slaked by unfurling their red fabric tongues into buckets of water, then watched them dancing - I love the Asian cymbal-sounding drums they move to. I received my lucky red packet of money from the Money God (this year sponsored by the Bank of China - I kid you not!), and for a truly surreal experience watched a firecracker display in Leicester Square to the sound of the Swiss Bells in the Swiss Centre building chiming in the new hour.  

The 'Bank of China' Money God walking around the square handing out red packets.  

That's Big Ben down there on the left! 

We had a visitor with us for the celebrations..said he wanted to see if any of his friends were showing up for the big party... 

Boy this panda really gets around... 

Some of the banners festooning the streets.. 

My tutorial tonight was cancelled so I left early to get the tube home. As I walked along the platform I saw the train approaching. As it neared the platform the driver hit the brakes, screamed a loud whistle through the station and came to a screeching holt. The lights in the train went out, and the driver radioed an announcement through the train that I couldn't hear. I was right near his cab so walked over to ask what was going on. There was a man on the side of the tracks and the driver thought he might have hit him. No one went to investigate, except myself and another passenger - though the driver radioed for help. We weren't sure if the electricity was off so the other passenger and I stayed on the edge of the platform and peered along the tracks, and saw a man, unhurt, standing so close to the train, a hand's breadth from it, staring at the ground.

I yelled out to ask if he was ok, if he needed help, but he didn't reply. I yelled again asking him to walk back to the platform, but he didn't reply. I left the other guy to yell to him while I raced back to the train driver to tell him he hadn't hit the man, that he was standing there and not moving or talking. He said the electricity had been shut down and all the trains on the line stopped in both directions, and that the train couldn't move until the man was away from the tracks. I raced back to the end of the platform again and asked the man again if we could help, that we would help him in whatever way he needed, that we couldn't move the train while he was standing there, that help was waiting for him on the platform. I asked him to come to the platform, the other passenger yelled to him as well, and we spoke at him for two or three minutes without response. He started to walk away, and I raced back to tell the driver, then back down to the platform end again. More one sided imploring followed, until finally, he turned and slowly, slowly, reluctantly, walked back to the platform. Coming into the light of the station I saw that he was an old man, gaunt, sunken cheeks, dead lifeless eyes. I asked if he was hurt, what help he needed and he just couldn't talk, he stood at the end of the platform in a state of shock, lost to the world. I raced back up the platform to the train driver - by now there were tens of people hovering up the other end of the platform watching everything going on, and said we had talked the man off the tracks, he didn't believe me at first and I had to repeat myself, and he said he would radio the information through, but couldn't move the train until the man was off the platform. I raced back down to the other end of the platform and spoke to the man again. I asked if he needed help, what he needed, and asked if he would leave the platform with me so the train could go. He nodded his agreement, but didn't talk, and we started slowly walking up the platform together. I asked his name but he refused to tell me, looking constantly at the ground, never at me. I introduced myself to him and asked if he would like me to take him to a hospital. I was shocked at his reply.

He said he had just come from the UCL Hospital around the corner where he had told them he was suicidal, and they had turned him away. I asked if he was still suicidal, he said yes, and I said again we would get whatever help he needed. We were joined not long after by another London Underground member of staff. He recognised the man, and said to him 'weren't you the man who just asked me about the voltage of the tracks'? I spoke to the driver and told him about the man's suicidal state and UCL hospital turning him away, and asked him to call an ambulance. He spoke to the other London Underground staff and they helped the man off the platform. I didn't know what to do, and stayed on the platform.

By this time a crowd had gathered waiting for the trains to start running again and watching everything going on. No one tried to help apart from the initial male passenger. After the man was taken off the platform the electricity was restored and I walked back down the platform towards the end of the train. It was surreal, people stared at me, and a man stepped in front of me, blocked my path and with a huge smile on his face congratulated me, said "well done mate, you did a great job" etc etc. I just stared at him disbelievingly, then told him that the man was suicidal and was turned away from a hospital, than I felt sick, and I then walked off. Why didn't these people try to help?

I am so disppointed in other people tonight. So many people on the platform stayed well away, did nothing but care for themselves. I was so mad that the hospital didn't help this man I telephoned them when I got in. Probably not very sensible to make the call when I was so emotional and angry. The nurse in charge told me that everyone who turns up is assessed, but that yes, sometimes suicidal people are deemed not a risk and not admitted after the initial assessment. He didn't understand why I was so upset, even when I said a man almost died because of a misdiagnosis at his hospital. He started getting really rude and asked me why I even cared about this man anyway when I didn't even know his name. This inflamed my anger further, and I'm sorry to admit, I yelled at him and ended up hanging up on him. I've never encountered such a disregard for human need and suffering. I know there are countries where it's a daily occurence, but never in my experience.

I am so sad. I see his lifeless eyes in my mind's eye. A man with nothing left, nothing at all. I helped him to stay alive, but I don't know what he has to live for. I just hope he got to someone who could help him more than I.

It's my princess on her first birthday! (Wearing the latest London fashions sent over by her Aunty :) ). Her face is losing the baby look and she is becoming her own little person - so beautiful! Those blue eyes...  

Happy First birthday to my beautiful darlin' Lauren. Where has the past 12 months gone to???  

Happy Pancake Tuesday!
It's shrove Tuesday and on the menu tonight are broccoli soup, pan fried cod and pancakes with real maple syrup and lemon juice. Stu's friend Alex brought this maple syrup over from Canada for us - it is straight from the tree and tooth-achingly sweet, but totally delicious! Oddly, it's incredibly tasty when drizzled over bacon for breakfast!

Sunshine in a bottle
I have had this hideous skin thing for the past month, where my limbs and some of my torso have been covered by hundreds of red splotches of all different sizes. It's a good thing it's winter because I've been able to cover them all up. The doctor said it's a variation of pityriasis, not contagious, and goes away on it's own after a few weeks or months. I wondered if there was a connection between lack of sunshine and the condition, so started taking a Vitamin D supplement. Sure enough, the blotches are slooooowly but surely fading. Maybe by the time spring rolls around I'll be able to wear skirts and t-shirts without feeling self conscious!

Speaking of spring, there are two daffodils flowering in the front garden. It's only February!! It's not been cold much at all so far this winter. I keep waiting for the weather to turn but it hasn't...yet!

Broadband and Statistics
Well, the heading pretty much sums up this posting. We now have broadband, it rocks, and I just installed a statistics program onto the pc for use in my Research Methods Class. It's quite easy to use and saves me having to calculate things manually. Still, it's statistics, it can't ever get that good!

Weekend odd socks

I had my hair cut yesterday and tried a new local hairdresser. I'm trying to grow it, and it was just below my shoulders but the ends needed tidying. I asked the guy for just a trim... and I now have hair just below my chin. I started to get concerned when he grabbed a comb, a razor and a handful of my hair, and then 3 inches of hair dropped onto the floor. By which point it was too late to say stop. It doesn't look bad, just, well, short. . At least it will grow back.

I also treated myself to a 45 minute back and shoulder massage in the afternoon which was relaxing and grounding. Stu was in Brighton helping Cesca and Iain load the van with Cesca's things - she is moving in with Iain as their baby is due in July. It was really good to have a day to myself for a change. I needed it.

Saturday night we went to see Stu's old school friend Gus in his comedy double act of 'Laurence and & Gus', which was 5 short brilliant & sharp sketches on the nature of love. Very witty and well written, with some very very funny moments - my favourite was two men in the trenches of World War I - one had never been in love but had had loads of sex, and the other had never had sex but was in love. The bombing starts and before they die they want to know about what they've missed, so begin yelling at each other descriptive chunks about their experiences, the juxtapositioning of romantic love with the physicality of sex pure comic genius, you would have to see it to really appreciate it! Apparently Laurence and Gus have some sort of role in a new BBC drama, but we're not sure if it's as an extra or a proper character! Watch this space. Read a review of their show here.

Today we had a fabulous afternoon with Sunday roast lunch at Tom & Antonia's with Pete and Gareth and little 2 1/2 year old Wills. Plenty of good red wine, lots of laughter, chilled music and relaxed atmosphere. Antonia, who is 7 1/2 months pregnant, excelled yet again with her cooking, and following on from the scrumptious roast, we had chocolate bread and butter pudding with coffee. YUM!

Back to work tomorrow. I have a report due on Wednesday which I have succesfully managed to avoid doing anything on this weekend. Whoops. I've done the draft, just need to finalise it. Speaking of which, I'm running out of hours in which to procrastinate about it. Better step on the gas!

In Memory of Ivan Noble

Ivan Noble, the BBC journalist whose diary I have been reading online for over a year, lost his fight against a brain tumour on Monday. I read about death and destruction in the news every day – helicopters shot down in Iraq, suicide bombings in Israel, car accidents on the motorways, and it never moves me. It never chokes me or stops me in my tracks. I am numb to the large-scale loss of life.

Reading that Ivan Noble had died…stunned me. I hoped that bravery and strength of character would shield him from death, give him more time with his precious young family. Now I see that it gave him dignity and courage in the face of death. I will miss the inspiration in his shared thoughts and emotions.

If you ever start to take life and the people around you for granted, go and read the journey of Ivan Noble and cancer. Live your life.

“The world is a better place for having had him here”.

Ivan's Diary - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4211475.stm
BBC News article reporting Ivan's death - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4193093.stm.