Autumn in London

Well, September - I think I registered you as you whizzed past in a blur.  Phew! And now, it's good to be back in London.  In a flat, with a job - and unpacked bags.  Even if that job is admin that makes me look forward to lunch like it's Christmas, the routine and normality is welcome.

It's autumn here. I took the photo above on one of my blessed lunch breaks, in the SECRET GARDEN next to my work.  As soon I enter the gate (with a KEY) my imagination transforms me into Mary Lennox, which is pretty awesome:

Aside from my over-active imaginary journeys, I've also been to heaps of actual places in the last month.  Namely Majorca, London for a bit, Scotland for a wedding & some exploring, Manchester for a great catch-up with Rose, and then back to London where we've managed to find jobs and a flat.  Actually now that I write that down, I feel a little less sheepish about feeling nackered and not having posted in a while...

On the moors in Lancashire whilst visiting Rose (not unlike moors in The Secret Garden... ok I'll stop)

Many photos were taken and Stuff Done during the month; I will post those shortly and separately as a sort of 'paint by photos' instant update, I think - for now I wanted to say 'I'm alive and in one place for more than a week - it's good'.  

I'm even relatively restored, after a chance wandering into a 'solemn mass' at Westminster Cathedral last night (not Abbey - Catholic, not Anglican... all latin-ey etc.)  For some reason an hour sitting in a seriously beautiful place listening to angel-music gets to me like nothing else.  Feeling wound up like a spring after a mildly dramatic flat-finding mission, I was reminded of (nerd moment number... I've lost count) that bit in one of the Harry Potter books where there's a solid egg which nobody can open, until someone-or-other hops into the bath with it and the steam slowly releases its secrets - or something.

The sound of the choir and the smell of the incense, as well as the feeling of being in such a huge, still space - wound its way into my brain and opened me up something chronic.  A packet of tissues and mildly out-of-body experience later, I emerged onto seething Victoria St a new person - capable of facing blog-post catch-ups and everything.

So, live from Starbucks in Belgrave Sq where I'm listening to posh English boys talking to a posh American girl ("well, I'm taking Arabic at the moment"  "no, I don't think I've ever met a Mexican..." - I'm not making this up) I've finished another day of clock-watching and am heading home for a bath which, on top of the Westminster Cathedral experience, might just produce a real update post - with photos and everything.  Until then,  I'll leave you with a photo of my secret garden:

Love and steamy cups of autumn tea,

Sarah