National toy accumulation week

Continuing the we-got-new-stuff trend of the last few days, I've inherited a Nokia 8210. When we'd first come to London we'd been told by quite a few people that we wouldn't be able to cope without two cellphones. We certainly needed one mobile, for Bronwyn to negotiate her day supply work with teaching agencies when already down at the railway station in the mornings. We picked that up in the week after we arrived here, a Nokia 3410. Anyway, over recent times there have been an increasing number of occasions where I realised that my life would be simpler if I was sometimes able to get hold of Bronwyn and other people while on the move... But I still didn't really want to shell out up to £100 for a phone. Well, I happened to mention this to Sonja, and in a strange set of circumstances involving a drunk in Eastern Europe, two cellphone companies, and a New Zealander living in Scotland, she was able to assist me to become the proud owner of this little baby. The slightly dizzying pace of accumulation lately may appear in contrast to our desire to live a simple lifestyle. I think it is just a timing issue with recent acquisitions. As I write this I realise I've a digital camera on back order. Perhaps it is more that all my Christmases have just come at once. In any case, this tiny little cellphone will be very useful. It's even red. What more could I ask for?

The weather is definitely cooling off here now, with predicted temperatures over the next week in the 14-15 range, where even last week we were still getting 20s. The slide into winter is starting, and on one recent evening we needed to turn on the central heating in our flat. It's been incredibly cool inside the flat in summer, which we've figured could mean one of two things. Either the flat is extremely well insulated, in which case it will be nice and warm in winter, or the flat is an icebox and we're going to freeze! We've been encouraged to find that when the rest of the house has become cold overnight our bedrooms have remained warm, suggesting to us the house may be well insulated. If so we should be in for a cozy few months. London's museums and galleries are all free, and I foresee a fair few excursions on cold and wet days to take in this side of London life.

Last night I was out at work drinks for a colleague who is leaving our team for a few months having been seconded to our Trust's main campus in another suburb. From there we headed out to dinner at Phil and Marguerite's, a couple we met through Worple Road Evangelical Church. They'd organised a Greek dinner following a trip they'd made there a while ago, inviting us and four others. They wouldn't let us smash the Wedgewood even when we were playing the Greek “instrumental” music (complete with vocals), but we had a great time anyway. Thanks Phil and Marguerite!