Time in Syria

...seeing these two again at Christmas.

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Ate out at a nice Japanese restaurant in the Oxo Tower beside the Thames on my last night in London. This is a view from the window rather mixed up with reflections of the restaurant interior.

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Second of two very brief visits to London just completed. I'm still not getting the chance to relax with the family, as all but a few hours are spent in meetings of one sort or another. Still these do allow me to catch up a little with incoming mail - this time including a summons for jury duty, something I have never before been called upon to do, and which I have had to decline on the grounds that I am working overseas.

Daughter Kate is thriving in her job with Abel & Cole, the organic food people, and is very enthusiastic about it. It seems a great company to work for and she has, I think, lots of opportunities to develop and grow into new roles. So I'm feeling very proud of her.

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Tried out a newish tapas bar in Herne Hill for the first time, and this tree is right outside it.

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Our part of London, Herne Hill, is distinguished by being almost entirely residential. A few restaurants and pubs, a Sainsbury's local, the train station, some nice parks. It is not an emerging Silicon Valley, or indeed any sort of Valley. It's just a place to live, where people come home to after work. So it was strange, as in very funny, to see a local newsletter from the Herne Hill Forum read as follows, under the heading Global warming and the end of cheap oil:

"Duncan Law will be outlining what opportunities there are for Herne Hill to transition to the new economy."

It's difficult to imagine what might be involved here. Herne Hill emerging as leader in new solar technology? Residents keeping cows and harvesting the methane? Preparation of rooms for rent as the rising sea level engulfs lower-lying parts of London?

Sadly I have missed the opportunity to hear Mr Law, whoever he is, so will have to ask about to see if the neighbours can tell me what transitioning opportunities we may be missing.

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Today is Jon's 20th birthday and I'm away, so I'm thinking of him a lot. Here he is in our garden earlier this summer. Happy birthday Jon.

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