Robins in the snow [London]
06:53pm GMT, 2 Feb 2009

The great thing about robins is that they're so inquisitive; you can get really close.

One aim for today was to get a shot of the parakeets of Tooting Common, but they were, unsurprisingly, huddling away somewhere out of the wind and I only caught a glimpse of one of them. Cracking day though. The heaviest snowfall for 18 years coincided with a pre-arranged day off.

London: A life in maps [London]
12:19am GMT, 30 Jan 2007

The plan for Saturday was to bag another city, St. Albans, which is a mere 26 minutes from here by train. Sadly, First Capital Connect were unable to deliver me to my destination, but instead repeatedly played an announcement that apologised for the inconvenience and explained how I might get to Wimbledon (take the tube), Elephant & Castle (tube, maybe bus) Anywhere South (use some other public transport). After half an hour, patiently listening and watching the information board displaying "STAND BACK - FAST TRAIN APPROACHING" palled as entertainment, so I decided to go the British Library.

For the rhetorical purposes of this blog post, allow me to divide the world into two sorts of people: those who are interested in maps or the history of London and those who are not. Those who fall into the latter camp are advised not to bother reading much further.

The exhibition, London: A Life in Maps is simply curated and has a collection of important maps in London's history. It includes:

• A map, never completed, which was rendered obsolete by the Great Fire.
• The survey of the fire damage.
• Seeing the expansion of London between 1850 and 1900.
• The Luftwaffe bomber's map of London.
• Population and poverty maps.
• Many street maps.

Go at a quieter time than I did. Even though it was reasonably empty, each map had about half a dozen people poring over it at any one time. To look at a map properly, it's necessary to get so close to it and to have space to let your eyes follow the line features.

The virtual exhibition is unbelievably frustrating to use; you can choose between viewing in detail through a window the size of a postage stamp, or viewing a large map which shows none of the detail. I was underwhelmed by the electronic installations in the exhibition - a couple of PCs running Google Earth.

Overall, it's well worth a visit.

Music on the tube [London]
01:09am GMT, 18 Dec 2006

On the tube home this evening, a young guy was playing music, loudly, from his mobile phone. His phone was about as good as reproducing music as my AM radio with depleted batteries during a thunderstorm. This bothers me more than the lack of consideration for the dozen or so people in the carriage.

After a similar experience, I vowed that I would not tolerate this behaviour again, so I started to pluck up the courage to ask him to stop. Then I worked out that there were only a few minutes of journey time left and decided, on balance, it was not worth the slim risk of an altercation. At this point a smartly dressed young woman asked him to turn it down and he complied, wearing a big smirk on his face, as if he'd just been asked on a date.

An old truism about the English is that we don't like confrontation. The example that I've heard given, is that if a couple were making love noisily on the train, there might some clearing of throats and a few raised newspapers, but nobody would ask them to stop. If they were to then light a post coital cigarette, the error of their ways would be explained immediately. Perhaps because there's a sign that clearly says "No Smoking" in all carriages, but there isn't one that says "No Shagging" or "No Being a Tosser With Your Mobile."

Wrecked [London]
07:08pm BST, 20 Jul 2006

I'm sitting in the office. Only one task remains to be completed today, but I can't actually get my brain to concentrate on anything.

Tony and I followed our 6km Westminster run at lunchtime and we completely underestimated the strength-sapping effects of the heat. Even now, one cold shower, countless litres of water and 4 hours 30 minutes later, I am feeling lethargic, with the brain power of a lobotomised newt.

I might not even make it to the pub tonight.

Parking madness [London]
09:23pm BST, 4 Oct 2005

For reasons too boring to explore further, I have the car up here in London this week and this means finding somewhere to park. I can't park anywhere near where I live, as it is all restricted parking and I don't have a permit. To get one, the car would have to be registered here. Camden's website has a helpful section on visitors' parking permits which can be obtained for the princely sum of £5.25 per day. A maximum of ten per year are allowed and the permits have an expiry date.

Of course, these things should be limited in numbers and be charged for, or the streets would be jammed with the cars of commuters. But, what on earth is the point of the expiry date? Surely just an inconvenience to residents and a means of securing more revenue. I think £5.25 is pretty steep too. Let's bear in mind that the people who buy these permits are probably not habitual vehicle users and may need to park their cars near their homes on handful of occasions per year (like me). Perhaps they have responsibly decided to be members of a car sharing club, or to hire a car as and when they need it only. This sort of car use should be encouraged, but instead Camden are making it more difficult and more expensive. More difficult by ensuring that their residents need to either use or remember to refund their visitors' parking permits in one year, while those with residents' permits can park whenever they like. More expensive by charging £52.50 for 10 days parking versus £90 for one year's parking.

So anyway, it turns out that the cheapest way to park is to drive from my flat to Wembley Park station, park the car for £2.50 per day and get the tube back home. However, not having enough change, I only paid for two days and went back tonight to top it up. Putting in enough for one day, I was surprised to see that it only allowed me to park until 2am tomorrow morning, so I have to wait until midnight to top up the parking again. That's the first machine I've seen that works on strict calendar days and it's a right pain.

Net result of Camden's policy? four extra car journeys and four extra tube journeys.