A season for everything

All things eventually come to pass... I made the decision last December to purchase a digital camera when I arrived here in the UK. A new model, due to be released in April caused me to delay my plans. Delay followed frustrating delay, until the first cameras finally shipped here in late July-early August. Having actually seen on in the flesh (well, metal) on 12 August I went ahead placed an order with Amazon. “Usually ships in 1-2 weeks” was their advice to potential purchasers of this camera, throughout the further two months I waited! Well, as I reported last Thursday I gave up waiting when I found a company that now matched Amazon's (previously unbeatable) price, and who claimed to have the camera in stock. Amazon had meanwhile updated their dispatch estimate for my order to 14-21 November. I ordered the camera from the new store, and was able to track the camera's progress via the courier's web site... The tracking information shows a hiccup caused by the shop not putting my full work address on the label, which resulting in a one-day delay. I was unhappy. However, yesterday the camera finally arrived, safe and sound, all forgiven! The camera is excellent, and at last my waiting is over. It is over 10 years since I last bought a camera, though I inherited one during that time. I hope this one will serve me so well.

The seasons are turning here. Other antipodeans have said to us they love how distinct the four seasons are here, and we're beginning to see the change. The temperatures are dropping, it is getting dark as we get home from work now, and Bronwyn already leaves for work in the dark. The trees are on fire with colour. I took my camera to work today, thinking to photograph for the first time the buildings I work in. Instead, I saw this ivy-covered wall on a building along the way. It is not hard to love this time of year.

London is a much more beautiful place than I expected. The areas we tend to frequent are much cleaner than other major cities we've visited in a number of countries now, but it's more than that. I am amazed at the variety of wildlife we see in our garden; far more than we saw in Palmerston North. London has a surprising array of birdlife in particular, which is itself seasonal. Some birds here in the summer understandably decide Africa is a better place to spend the winter, while others defy the odds and come to Britain from the south, just for the winter. Even the animal life is cosmopolitan here. Watching the sunset dwarfing the city tonight I realise I've started to see how people could make their home here.