The Voyage Home

I was expecting the worst. A Eurostar from Paris two days before Christmas. The prospect left me feeling queasy but the truth was much merrier.

French and British immigration were a breeze and I headed for the Frequent Traveller lounge without the drudge of queues.

This was travelling. London for Christmas.

I have been low of late. I was without lustre. And then I entered into the vortex of morosity. I was trying to work out why I was feeling low and the energy I needed to do this was preventing me from reenergising my usual sheen.

Eventually I stopped attempting to discover why I was down and - to be Anglo Saxon about it - just got on with it.

Wonderful how institutionalised concepts can be the making of you.

Now that I am malinger free, I am getting on with it in London.

Surged up to Highgate Village this morning to buy a few things before we go on the Christmas wheel of eating and visiting.

God bless Cafe Nero for they have wi-fi and a loyalty card. Sadly they also have music oozing out of the speakers which is neither soothing nor festive.

I am tempted to dip into the itunes to drown it out. In fact I will dip into the itunes and drown it out. That's better. Now there's a cacophony of sounds. The kind of thing that can do your head in.

At one point during the low time I realised that I hadn't seen an episode of Star Trek for ages. I haven't had the VCR repaired since the boy did something to it. And all copies of the original series with Captain Kirk and Mr Spock are on video.

In low times of yore I have always been able to slip in an old episode and after the Romulans have been right royally outmanoeuvred, I've felt a lot better.

But without the sci-fi morality tales......

I read that due to the worldwide meltdown, zavi-the records and books discount store - is slashing big money off its hyper slashed prices. Now if this global credit crunch means a cheaper boxed DVD set of Star Trek.....

I'll be boldly going shopping.