London

Is anyone still reading this?

We're still exiled in London, and I'm wading through the mountains of paperwork it takes to get a fiancé's visa.

This afternoon I went to see my dentist, who owes me a favour after extracting so much from my mouth and my wallet over the past few months.

I had to get her to sign a passport photo for my police report, and prove to the Americans that I'm not an international criminal mastermind. I'm hoping they'll overlook my 28-year-old conviction for cycling without lights in Cambridge.

I was also bemused by the list of only twelve occupations deemed sufficiently respectable to sign passport photos, including teachers, lawyers, members of the armed forces, mayors (oh yeah, I know lots of those).

I've been enjoying our stay here - so much so that I quite like the idea of spending most of the time in New Orleans, but maybe coming back for a few months each year. The time since November has reminded me how much affection I still have for the city in which I've spent the majority of my life. For all its problems, it's getting better by the year - cleaner, better public transport, more prosperous.

I've also been appreciating the chance to spent significant amounts of time with friends and family, and my very friendly bunch of neighbours (well, some of them) here in Foxwood Road.

But I'm also looking forward to returning to New Orleans, and as soon as I do so (we're hoping maybe the end of March) I shall resume this blog.