The great and the good

Yesterday I had to go to this "breakfast launch" of a campaign in my area of work. Let's say my area of work is hardware...then this would have been a launch of a new line of cushiony-soft handles for screwdrivers. All very good, but does it give you any extra torque?

The Northern line and the Victoria line were all fubar, so I was running quite late for this event. These things never start on time, but I knew I was running a little later than that. I try to avoid looking at clocks when I'm in this sort of position, to avoid stressing myself out, but sometimes it can't be helped. I got out at Westminster tube station, and started rushing toward my meeting when I heard the chimes of Big Ben, turned around and even with my myopia I could see that I was 15 minutes late.

A junior Government minister was speaking at this event...quite junior...if my line were hardware he would be the minister for cordless screwdrivers, with special responsibility for interchangeable bits. But he was kinda hot... Some of these politicos may be endowed with only average looks (as the minister for bits was), but have that charisma and manner of looking right at you, seeming to be speaking to you in a room full of the great and the good, that makes them kinda sexy.

So since I was late and took my seat even after the cameras were switched on, Mr Minister noticed me. And when it was his turn to speak he chose me as one of his allies in the audience (it's an old speakers trick, find a couple of sympathetic people and keep glancing between them). OK, I looked back, I gave him the sympathetic look, I even flirted a little bit. It was fun. Though if I had a chance to talk to him one on one, I'd tell him that he needs a little more practice dodging questions. The trick is to seem as if you've answered it to everyone but the questioner...he just sort of moved on to another topic.

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Afterwards, I took the long way back to the office, through St James Park and Green Park - Royal Parks near Buckingham Palace. It was chilly but clear and bright. The daffodils were all in bloom. It was lovely.



St James' Park


Green Park

It was nice to enjoy the birds in St James Park, there are many exotic varieties there, including pelicans that often interact with park visitors (they were sitting in their island in the middle of the lake yesterday, so no pics). Given that bird flu has now been found in the UK, I wonder how long the birds will last in our central London parks.

Here's a pic of one the park mallards snapped just at the point when he realised that I had nothing more to offer him than a cigarette butt.