‘Excuse me! Do you live around here? A man in smart suit was coming towards me.

‘Not exactly here…’ I began.

‘Do you know where the restaurant called Waterfront is?’ he asked.

‘Yes.’ I stood up and pointed the opposite direction from where he came. ‘You have to go past the big road. It’s probably another five minutes walk…’

I noticed he was carrying his iPhone face up. ‘Do you have the map?’ I asked, pointing at his phone.

‘No, it’s not working,’ he said, looking cross.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the tattered cycle map that I always carry.

‘We’re here,’ I said. ‘You need to cross Queensbridge and go halfway up the block towards Princes Bridge…’

‘Ah!’ He saw immediately. ‘Thanks!’

He rushed off to his companion, calling, ‘Keep going that way!’

I folded up my map and put it back in my bag.

V&A watch bangle

I wore it on the final day of our course, when we presented our projects to the Directors in our London office. We had a lovely lunch afterward, with tasty food and good conversation.

All good things come to an end, though. I needed to meet up with Damjan in the afternoon.

‘What’s the time?’ I asked one of my colleagues.

‘It’s 10 to 2,’ he said.

‘Oh,’ I laughed. ‘It’s not a real watch!’ I lifted my arm to show him.

He looked serious ‘No. Really. It’s 10 to 2.’

I looked at his watch. So it was!

That was until the Lexus in front of me folded in its left side mirror. It was as if it was beckoning me forward.

Surprised, I wheeled throught the gap and once I was through, the Lexus’s mirror poped back out.

‘Do you eat vegemite, Joan?’ mum said.

‘No, I don’t. But Damjan eats it sometimes,’

‘I didn’t like vegemite too,’ she continued. ‘But a while ago, you left a jar of vegemite at our place and I tried it. Now I like it.’

‘It’s just like putting soy sauce on bread!’ I exclaimed.

‘I like it.’

‘You’re a real Aussie now, mum.’

‘Yes, I’m an Aussie.’

THE MAN WHO LIVED ON HIS BIKE from Guillaume Blanchet on Vimeo.

I love it!

I spotted two snails halfway across the garden path, one behind the other. They were moving to a grassy patch.

Carefully, I stepped over them. Then another step later… ** CRISP ** As soon as I heard the light crunch, I jerked my foot back.

Oh no! I had stepped on another snail and crushed its shell. Even worse, it was still moving.

I rushed home and almost cried. The poor snail! Naked and homeless. Would it survive? Can it survive?

A few minutes later, I thought of going back outside to euthanise it but didn’t.

This morning, I found its shrivelled body next to broken bits of shell.