Below Belief

Been trying to get out and about to take photos, but there hasn’t been much time recently.
So here are some everyday observations:
The beautiful pagoda at Kew gardens, taken from the flat window where I wash up – and where I swear some of the best sunsets in London are to be observed:

A dandelion clock, waiting a blow

A slice of the wallpaper from our new “old” house – prior to it’s demolition – this will form a small but significant part of the hopefully more salubrious “new” decor.

Perhaps the very print we’ll use?

See – there is beauty every where you look.

Peter, our Polish foreman and his team arrive on site tomorrow morning at 8am.
With the building company we’ve commission acting as our “independent” project manager during the process and supposedly making 2-3 visits per week, we are hoping this will be as smooth as can be expected.
It’s difficult to know what to expect – and also because it’s a “one-off”, we are also pressurised to succeed.
We’ve done as much preparation as we can – detailed drawings, schedules and designs should mean everything is ready to go. We’ll be detailing the day-by-day progress over at grosvenorgardens.com.

I’ve skied a lot over the past 5 years and so far only rented boots every time. Now S and I decided to invest in our hobby and so I hit Snow and Rock in Kensington for the early season new stock.

So Rob is talking about how running is his mental saviour.
Now I know for sure that running is *not* my mental saviour. In fact a proposed entrance into the Great North Run has been cancelled not because I can’t do it but because I realised I don’t get anything out of it. When I run, maybe because of the way I run, I don’t get any mental space. My mental space fills up. It just doesn’t work for me.
My mental saviour is cycling. Now there’s a thing. Getting to work and back on a ridiculous bike. It’s marvellous because:
(1) it happens at the beginning and end of each day, neatly mirroring my “limber up for work” and “de-stress after work” patterns
(2) it happens in the background because it’s not as strenuous as running for me
(3) it gives me a powerful “superiority” over traffic – I feel like I’m getting to work faster and better than everyone stuck in their cars
(4) it’s way better than any form of public transport, period
(5) I can appreciate the weather, the fresh air, the sunsets, the beautiful sun on the river in the morning, the wind, even the rain
It’s such a valuable thing that I don’t know if I would ever be without my daily cycle to work.
It’s what lets me do my (relatively) stressful job and still (hopefully) not be headed for an early death. Now there’s a positive benefit.

So just two days into my Marseille trip and already my brain has miraculously begun to get better at understanding French. Marseille accents seem to be quite mild and they seem to pronounce the words clearly, so it is quite easy to catch the gist of a conversation. Also I’ve been immersed in French conversation for most of the days – with only a bit of translation for my benefit – so it’s been intense. I can’t profess to be any good, still but at least I was understanding some of what was said.
My favourite phrase is “uzine a gas”. We’ve been planning projects over the next six months and “uzine a gas” is a French saying which translates as “Gas factory” but means any kind of project or work which is needlessly/apparently complicated – like the mass of twisty pipes which make up a gas factory. It became a crucial link in my bonding with the local team – who I’ve met for the first time this trip and who mostly cannot speak French. It’s amazing how “like a gas factory” and “not like a gas factory” at key points in the conversation have made everyone giggle or helped them understand something I was trying to say. Human communication is fascinating.

I’m keeping a close eye on friend Rob, an ex-consultant friend turned psychologist who is starting a very important business. All those athiests, scientists, rationalists, theists (go on then, you struggle with existentialism too…) who have at some point struggled to find meaning and purpose in their lives, raise your hands. I think we’re pretty much all there.
Sooner or later if you believe that life is an accident and we’re all just living out the destiny of our selfish genes, then life can get you down. In fact life can get you down regardless of whether you understood the previous sentence.
Rob’s point is that a lot of people in this world struggle with finding meaning. And the cause (and the solution) are different for everyone. His business plans to help fix that – by providing a mixture of courses, training, mentoring, coaching and therapy (of the rational, here’s why it works variety, not the “place these crystals by your toilet” variety…) which bring people closer to happiness. Or at least contentment.
I think there’s a big market out there for just such services. And I think it’s untapped. Got toothache – you go to the dentist. Not feeling too well – you go to the doctor. Need to sort out your finances? Go to an IFA. Struggling to feel happy? Hmmm. Not sure. If it’s clinical depression (which is far more common than you might think) then you might be referred to a psychologist for help. But if it’s a bit of existential agnst or struggling to deal with lifes day-to-day stresses, there is no one I can think of to help – other than friends and family.
Anyway, this is one to watch eagerly and make sure you enjoy Rob’s lucid blog along the way.