interregnum

saying goodbye to my sister

I know in the past I've gone on about how I'm often awed into humble silence when I think about the incredibly talented and wonderful people I've somehow made as friends. As incredible as that is, at least I can say in that I had some power over the situation, and that I somehow sought out such awesome folks through some unconcious method.

No such claim can be made for my three siblings, who were assigned to me quite randomly with no optional out-clause for me. Which makes it all the more amazing that they're three of the most intelligent, creative, good-hearted people I've ever met. And I'm not just saying this out of some kind of cognate loyalty, everyone who meets them agrees with me on this, you can ask them.

So it's been a real pleasure having my little sister Clair here in London for the last few years, but unfortunately, as is the lifespan of the expat kiwi, she had to go home at the start of November. She had three goodbye dinners, and I went to all of them. The last one was at a pub in Angel, a cab was picking her up from the pub to go to Heathrow, so all her bags were there and everything. I left a little early to go and work on the novel. We had a big long hug and said goodbye, then I went out on to the street, walked about ten metres, sat down on the curb and bawled my eyes out.



my godsister getting married

My godsister Sylvie, while not a blood-relative, is an honourary Nicholls and shares a great many family traits including a rapier wit, a fierce intelligence and a general unwillingness to do what is expected of them. Which is why no-one expected her to elope from her home in Australia to New Zealand and get hitched to her girlfriend Finn, much to the distress of my godmother.

Now I've heard plenty of arguments to the effect that marriage should be an opposite-sex only affair. Those huge smiles pretty much blow every one of them out of the water, and they make me smile, too.



getting an Oyster card

I know this shouldn't really be a cause for excitement, but if you look at the card on the bottom, you'll see the pass my work gave me a year ago, which has got tattier and tattier over the year, and has recently not been working at all. All the while I was watching you Oyster users, jealous of your automatic swipe-n-scan entrance and egress.

But finally, my torment is over. My card expired and I requisitioned a new pass, all shiny and oystery. I have to admit, that was probably the most exciting thing to happen to me in November. Transport-wise, I mean. Obviously!



Thanksgiving

Yes I know we shouldn't be celebrating Turkey Day here in the UK, but my friend Anood is a yank and it was her first Thanksgiving in London and so all of us got together to stop her getting homesick. She also cooked us the biggest, best dinner I've ever eaten, it was fantastic. We went around the table telling everyone else what each of us was grateful for this year and I said, quite tearfully, that I was thankful to have such a good cook as a friend.