Arrived in Cape Town

Still feeling spaced out after an overnight 11 hour flight, but the vast blue sky and bright sunshine are helping, as did a vastly delicious creamy iced coffee.

Currently in an internet cafe on Long St - the main young-person tourist hang out. It's a really strange atmosphere here, probably partly because the shops shut at 2.30pm, which means there aren't as many people as you would expect on the street on a Sat afternoon. Lots of vintage shops, independent clothes and craft shops, antique shops, and bars. The busiest place was a pool hall.

Will find a way to upload some pics.

One Eye Grey at Brockwell Lido

One Eye Grey, a penny dreadful for the 21st century, held an evening of ghost stories by the water last night at Brockwell Lido, near Brixton in South London.

We drank mulled wine and ate roast pumpkin by the poolside as Chris, the guy who runs One Eye Grey, told tales of spooky happenings in London's under- and overground rivers. The waist-high Roman Legionnaires haunting walkers on Fleet St, built over the Fleet River, was a favourite.

Nigel of Bermondsey and (some of) his London Dreamtime, including me, provided the musical element of the evening, and a drunk woman asked him if he could "do Elvis".

Here are a couple of pics.

Pro surfer

Well, not quite, but on the way there at least...

Just booked myself into surf camp at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.

I went on a surf camp in Portugal couple of years ago and ended up with a white, bruise-covered body, and brown neck, hands and feet. But it was well worth it - I had an absolutely brilliant time.

5 minutes to speak

With my new job, and with Co-op and boat duties I seem to have no time whatsoever to do anything except rush around worrying about things.

How do people manage to lead interesting lives and have a decent job, without completely wearing themselves ragged? And how do people with children do anything at all?

Anyway, on a more positive note - the boat is officially mine! I've signed all the paperwork and here are some pictures.

Here's the outside. Mine is the one in the middle. I like to think of it as "down to earth".



Here's the inside - any ideas about decorating welcome...


Here's the weir by the marina.