Grateful: Day 90 - OMG

I just received a text that said 'Oh my god. Everyone look at the moon now. It's massive and orange!'. I don't even know who it was from - their name didn't come up. They just signed Fx. I did look and there was not a shred of a lie. The moon IS massive, and very orange, and very, very beautiful. And gibbous, apparently. What a brilliant, unexpected little gift.

This morning, the frost was out in force. The heath was sheathed. The buoys were glittering. The water was tricksy. Much warmer than you'd expect. Water takes longer to heat or cool than air (suck an egg, granny, suck it). So the weather says it should be really cold, but in fact, it's not. It's not tropical, but it doesn't quite match the surroundings. I'm looking forward to ice. I can hardly wait!

The sun was so forthright this morning, too. It shone with clarity and purpose. It lit up the trees beind the pond, and the ones around the edges. The swimming section was shared with swans. The parental couple and the fluff-headed teen, looking a little bit bigger, but still grey all over. They moved off after a minute or two, into the sunlight. The lifeguard (Alison? Jane?) was standing and gazing, saying how beautiful, what a picture. And it was.

The Hub was bubbling. Full of lovely people today. I ate wholemeal bagels and chatted to people who please me. I had a brainstorm for work, with Kate. Oh, what a joy. Ideas are like little raindrops. They don't come from inside your head, they land from somewhere else. I love doing that kind of ideas session. I felt all vibrant and alive.

My antennae are out. Whenever there's a task that makes me feel like that, they beep and beep. More of this, they say. Please, more of this. I want more. I so, so very much fun.

I can hear foxes barking. It soothes me, kind of. I don't object.

Oh, and today. Mr Rebaldi called with an offer of a job, which I can't do (Boooooooo) because of other work already booked (Yaaaay). I would have loved to do that job with Jack, though. He made me laugh and laugh just on the phone. And I loved the work last time, too. What a gift, another one, to have more than one brilliant bit of work offered on the sa

me day, by people I love to work for (and with).

And YEEEEOOOOOAAAARRRSSSS! Crouch End is ON! I move in 1st Feb (or near enough) and then am promptly away for more than a week. But there you go. That's how it happens. I'm very excited. I may ask if it would be possible to move a day or two earlier. Jan 30th. It's the only time I'm going to be free! I am very grateful indeed for this. It feels right. I am very glad. I will miss Ruth very much, but I will be very near, just round the corner really.

I always said that if I lived closer I'd come swimming with Ruth more often. It was true. I'm glad to be nearer where she is. I may not be in London for ever. I may be long gone over the summer. Many people think the Olympics are a fabulous time to be away and I agree. But while I'm here, near the pond, near Ruth, North London. That's for me.

I am grateful for every smile I've received or gave off today. I was almost laughing, cycling home. I'm just so very happy on that bike. Everything's funny. Everything is cool. And thank you to Ruth, who suggested a route home last night. I promptly said 'no, I have a route' and then I looked at hers and it was SO much better. I did that. I loved it.

Oh, oh, oh, and yesterday, was it at lunch time? Ruth and I crossed paths in the kitchen and I don't know what was said, but we were both almost crying with laughter, unable to speak, done for. Moments like that will stay with me. They don't have to go away.

Here's a hyena.