RAIN

The lake... but not today.

More rain. I just stood in the kitchen watching it streak down the windows. I love the way it collects and rolls off the guttering onto the glistening stones below. The lake is bursting again - the little bridge, almost submerged and the trees shooting out of the water where the path used to be.

In the summer, this is a really pleasant place for a lunch break. You can walk around the lake in about ten minutes, watching the geese and the swans glide happily by the fountain. The trees rustle in the warm breeze as workers stroll by from Santander, Pepsico and wherever else, chatting intently about sales figures and conferences and holidays. There are lillies and shrubs and butterflies and bees; there are dragonflies and ducks and fish that slink silently beneath the water.

Not today. Today is a rainy day in February.

It always seems odd to me that those besuited workers are not living in the moment. Alright, chatting about an upcoming marketing presentation is much less enjoyable indoors, but it's also far less impressive a topic than a beautiful day, nature and the warm sunshine. Have a lunch break! I want to say: Take a moment! Enjoy where you are, don't rush on to the next thing! breathe in, watch the ducks, find a ladybird, whatever you do, don't miss this!

Career people give you funny looks when you say things like that. They frighten me a little bit, if I'm honest. Their heads are so firmly wrapped around their jobs that anything or anyone who digs a little deeper is probably not working hard enough - as hard as they are - and should do something about it. I hope I'm not like that. I hope I learn to find those moments of wonder.

I sipped my tea and watched the swans as they floated past the marooned benches and bins. Rain pounded into the lake and a strong breeze blew ripples across its surface. I'm really thankful for where I am, I thought.

Indoors.