Taken at a farm just within the M25, north of Enfield. A Singaporean had organised a PYO (Pick Your Own) afternoon. Everyone gravitated towards the strawberries but I was probably the only person on the entire farm that adhered to the rule about no picking to taste. This probably explained why my strawberries were not that sweet.

 

Having said that, I was one of a few, and the only Singaporean, who ventured to the blackcurrant bushes. Blackcurrants are incredibly difficult to pick because they bruise so easily. Most of mine survived the journey back to Cambridge and I virtually overdosed on some of the most intense blackcurrants I have ever had.

 

What was quite surprising about the farm was the high number of Jewish families who were there. Quite possibly because the areas south of the farm, eg Stamford Hill and Rectory Road, were traditionally Jewish strongholds.

 

I did not blog during August because I started my new job. Work involves a 50 minute commute by train in the morning, followed by a 30 minute bike ride. It took some getting used to but I am now in the swing of things. Because I am working on Asian accounts, it does mean getting up quite early, which also means that I am quite tired by the evening.

 

Some of the things I learnt after a month in a full-time job :-

 

i. your world does not come crashing down when you stop checking your facebook or flickr accounts every 30 minutes.

ii. you become much more productive if you don’t spend time gossiping with colleagues.

iii. you become even more productive if you don’t spend time going out for lunch ---> this is something that we in Singapore should learn because I remember that going out to the nearby hawker centre for lunch could take up to 40 minutes but then I ended up so hot and bothered by the weather that it took me another 20 minutes to recover from the heat.

iv. on the commuter train, you get a bit more space if you wear PE attire and show a lot of sweat from a 30 minute bike ride.