Swab

A morning of watching Tom Daley win Olympic diving bronze. I confess after several years of seeing his public profile grow I’d forgotten he was a serious athlete. But congratulations to him for becoming the most decorated British Olympic diver.

I met Tim at the end of his Saturday job in the property agency. The office toilet, which he let me use, reminded me of Ariel the Little Mermaid’s cavern of treasures with shelves stretching up to the ceiling, containing gadgets and gizmos (paperwork and cleaning products).

Tim and I caught up as he got ready for a friend’s birthday. He’d generously bought her a nice selection of cheeses among other delights. To enjoy a final visit to London I went wandering in South London, before heading back to Cambridge. The weather was horrendous and Cambridge station was leaking heavily in the main entrance, despite only being a few years old. UK infrastructure is going to have to step it up a notch if we start experiencing more unpredictable weather. I can’t imagine the chaos on the railways if leaves start falling onto the track more vigorously.

I haven’t been buying much before returning to Mozambique as I hope to keep luggage logistics simple. However I’m very aware that Mozambique lacks recycling capacity so am thinking about how to reduce waste when there. This reusable ear swab will replace cotton buds as I don’t feel comfortable that the ones I use in Mozambique may wash into the Indian Ocean. Or the ones used in the UK for that matter, depending on which developing world nation the government is palming off its trash.