Evening browsing

It was 12 degrees today - so mild for January - and I was back on the bicycle. It's the first day of commuting on the replacement bike and it fared well. I fared slightly less well since I had worn too many layers. I was as red as a radish by the time I reached the office. It was a fun cycle, though, especially since the roads are ghostly quiet (the schools are still on holiday). I startled a few morning tradesmen with a cheery "Hello" (the one in Dulwich smiled back, but the one in Waterloo did not). A fellow cyclist and I enjoyed a car driver's loud jazz while waiting at a red light near Waterloo East. I also clocked a good quota of birds along the way: robins, blackbird, ring-necked parakeet, magpie, carrion crows, woodpigeons and feral pigeons. I heard a great deal more, but they hid in the trees and bushes.

The first day back at the office was quite busy and methodical. A lot of people are still on holiday so it's very quiet. I met Fred on the Southbank after work (hence the blip) and we cycled south to Peckham where I'd managed to book a rare free table at Ganapati. I've never been able to do this. It's a small restaurant so you have to book. Weekends are out of the question, but it seems the Thursday after the festive period is good. I've heard so many good things about the food from several friends so I had high expectations. I wasn't disappointed - the food really is amazing. I hadn't tasted anything like it before - great taste combinations and fantastic bread. The waitresses were fab, too (in all the Indian restaurants I've been to before, I've always been served by waiters, not waitresses - it's just something that occurred to me this evening). We'll definitely book in advance for another Taverna Thursday treat.