Life’s been odd. This floating back and forth between home and Brussels makes me feel as if I am never really either one place or the other. Anything that needs done can always be put off till “the next time” and then it gets forgotten about. My memory’s going, K?

So we seem to be living in a new world these days, or at least one with the potential to be new… ish. I have been a fan of Barack Obama but my fanship is tempered with the hindsight that I was also a fan of Tony Blair, and look where that got me. So, I do feel hope but it’s with a bit of cynical realism, the guy is a politician after all, and we have lots of exerience of politicians, don’t we?

I am planning on stopping smoking again, yeeehaw! But i can’t decide on whether to use nicotine replacements or just go cold turkey. Any advice?

Events of this summer (which I will write about another time) have made me look seriously at my life and the people I have in it. Also those that, for one reason or another, I am no longer in touch with. I have cntacted some old pals over the last few weeks and, by and large, it has been a positive thing. I will keep doing that and see how it all turns out. There’s definitely something sort of comforting having friends who knew you when you were young and stupid. It’s grounding and, at the same time, heartening to know that they still like you and you still like them.

Still and all (to borrow a phrase from the colonials) it is still jolly nice to meet and get to know new people too… like you, and you.