Morning had broken
Don't you love the mornings at this time of the year? The crisp, clear air, the wonderful light, the sun teasing you with its brightness but not its heat.
I had to be in London this morning so I took an early train to give me the time to walk from Waterloo Station to the office in Chancery Lane. It was worth it.
Above is The Thames from Waterloo Bridge at about 9.00 this morning, looking upriver towards Westminster. You can see the London Eye and Parliament through a slight haze as the frost burns off.
This is looking downriver at lunchtime, again from Waterloo Bridge. The three major buildings on the skyline are, from the left St Paul's, Tower 42 (formerly the NatWest Tower) and the gherkin. In the foreground is a river taxi and it's nice to see the river being used again as a means of getting around town. It seemed to go out of fashion at some point in the 70s but it's making a big comeback. The main reason is that there are simply too many cars in London even with the congestion charge now at £8 per day. According to Transport for London the average speed of traffic in central London is 10.6 miles per hour which is about what it was a century or more ago when people got about in Hansom cabs. Progress.
I had a good meeting, not least because it was short, concise and I was back at home by 2.30. I’m co-authoring a new training and development manual for the financial advisers in my company and today was the last meeting before the final version is produced. The content is agreed and I now have to knock together the final proof, amending and I hope improving the content, grammar and structure, then homogenise the formatting - the real anal stuff.
I was on cracking form if I do say so myself. Technically, by which I mean my in-depth knowledge of financial products and my experience of training people, I am the weakest member of the team. But I am not hampered by any preconceptions about how things 'should be done.' I've never said 'But we've always used this form.' I don't like jargon and (this blog excluded) I'll try not to use 30 words when 10 will do just as well. I normally get stressed out before these meetings but I didn’t get the draft we used today until 5 minutes before we started as I was out and about yesterday afternoon and not able to access my email. So I just shot from the hip and picked up one major omission and a couple of other points. I'm always at my best when I'm under pressure, when I have to think on my feet. Hurrah for me.
You all have a good weekend y'hear.
I had to be in London this morning so I took an early train to give me the time to walk from Waterloo Station to the office in Chancery Lane. It was worth it.
Above is The Thames from Waterloo Bridge at about 9.00 this morning, looking upriver towards Westminster. You can see the London Eye and Parliament through a slight haze as the frost burns off.
This is looking downriver at lunchtime, again from Waterloo Bridge. The three major buildings on the skyline are, from the left St Paul's, Tower 42 (formerly the NatWest Tower) and the gherkin. In the foreground is a river taxi and it's nice to see the river being used again as a means of getting around town. It seemed to go out of fashion at some point in the 70s but it's making a big comeback. The main reason is that there are simply too many cars in London even with the congestion charge now at £8 per day. According to Transport for London the average speed of traffic in central London is 10.6 miles per hour which is about what it was a century or more ago when people got about in Hansom cabs. Progress.I had a good meeting, not least because it was short, concise and I was back at home by 2.30. I’m co-authoring a new training and development manual for the financial advisers in my company and today was the last meeting before the final version is produced. The content is agreed and I now have to knock together the final proof, amending and I hope improving the content, grammar and structure, then homogenise the formatting - the real anal stuff.
I was on cracking form if I do say so myself. Technically, by which I mean my in-depth knowledge of financial products and my experience of training people, I am the weakest member of the team. But I am not hampered by any preconceptions about how things 'should be done.' I've never said 'But we've always used this form.' I don't like jargon and (this blog excluded) I'll try not to use 30 words when 10 will do just as well. I normally get stressed out before these meetings but I didn’t get the draft we used today until 5 minutes before we started as I was out and about yesterday afternoon and not able to access my email. So I just shot from the hip and picked up one major omission and a couple of other points. I'm always at my best when I'm under pressure, when I have to think on my feet. Hurrah for me.
You all have a good weekend y'hear.
posted by phylos @ 14:44
3 Comments:
I've never been a big traveller jenn; I've been round Europe (a bit), seen some of the Middle East but I was in town a couple of weeks ago with a good friend - an old RAF friend, who now works for Airbus. He's been around the globe more times than I can count and seen all the major cities. We crossed Westminster Bridge heading for The Albert, an old, old pub on Victoria Street behind Westminster Abbey. (The Albert has a majestic, sweeping staircase going up to the gents lined with pictures of all the old Prime Ministers who have been drunk there, going back I think, to Lord Derby in 1850something - 1853?.) I looked around and I said 'This has to be the best place in the world'. He thought for a bit and said, 'Yes, yes I think it is.' It has a myriad of faults, the public transport is a disgrace, there aren't enough litter bins, the price of beer is criminal (but ohh what beer), there isn't the sense of community that there was a decade ago, but London has something so special and so intangible it just cannot be put into words. I love it. I love it.
Damn right there! It was rare that I got up early in London (More likely went to bed too late) But the view from Primrose hill across London, first thing in the morning is a stunning. Peacefull and tranquill while the world hurries along it's way, just out of earshot! (Coming "down" to the sound of an elephants trumpet call however, is the freakiest thing in the world!)
I never expected to fall in love with London, quite the opposite but now I've moved on, oh how I miss her.
She was a bad mistress, she kept me up late, worked me to the bone and took most of my money, but like any fool, once I'd left her, I found her nails were dug deep into my heart!
You're spot on Lill. Isn't it weird how she does that?
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