CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS FROM THE PUTNEY CLINIC AND YOGA MAMA

Christmas gift packages from The Putney Clinic of Physical Therapy and Yoga Mama. Available to purchase until 19 December. Terms and conditions apply. Call 0208 789 3881 or email info@putneyclinic.co.uk.

PHOTOGRAPHY: UNUSUAL RESIDENTS

Of all the species of birds that reside in St James's Park, right in the centre of London, I would never in a million years have thought that there would be pelicans. However, after a little investigation, it would appear that there have been pelicans there since 1664. My investigation work also led me to the rather gory discovery that pelicans also eat pigeons.

PHOTOGRAPHY: SILENT ASSASSIN

Walking through Hyde Park earlier this afternoon, I was surprised by the amount of bird life to be seen. So much for them heading south for winter! Then I stumbled upon the grey heron in the photo above. I stood and watched it for a few minutes and it did not move a muscle, with its eyes fixed on the water waiting for its unsuspecting prey to arrive. Beautiful birds, but I am glad I am not a fish!

PHOTOGRAPHY: TOWER BRIDGE

Perhaps one of London's best kept secrets... The views of Tower Bridge and The Shard from the north bank of the Thames in Wapping (heading east from St Katherine's Dock) are spectacular.

PHOTOGRAPHY: SUNSET

Beautiful sunsets are not uncommon in London, but - at times - the intensity of the colours can be very overwhelming. The photo above was taken in Paddington Basin on Monday evening.

PHOTOGRAPHY: WINTER IN LONDON

It's barely late November and already it seems that winter has reached London. Very short days and grim-looking skies, although this is not without its charm.

ILLUSTRATION: TRANQUILITY

Illustration titled Tranquility.

PADDINGTON TRAIL

Paddington, the nation's favourite Peruvian, duffle-coat-wearing, marmalade-loving bear is the star of a new trail in London. Coinciding with the release of Paddington the movie, 50 statues - created by artists, designers and celebrities - will line the streets of London until the end of December, with money raised going to children's charities. For more information and a downloadable PDF map of the trail, visit the Paddington Trail website created by Visit London.

Paddington Bear in photos

Paddington Bear - Paddington Station	Paddingtonscape - Norfolk Square Gardens
Futuristic Robot Bear - Merchant Square	Bearing Up - St Mary's Footbridge
Brick Bear - Canal Towpath	The Mayor of Paddington - Paddington Waterside
Texting  Paddington - Sheldon Square	Dapper Bear - Notting Hill Gate

ILLUSTRATION: ARARAS

Illustration titled Araras (Macaws).

ILLUSTRATION: A CIDADE MARAVILHOSA

Illustration titled A Cidade Maravilhosa (The Marvellous City).

ILLUSTRATION: GRÀCIA

Illustration of Casa Amatller and Casa Batlló in Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona.

PHOTOGRAPHY: CHANGING SKYLINES

This is a photo taken during my visit to Madrid last month. The Cuatro Torres Business Area is located in the north of the city, built on the site of the old Ciudad Deportiva (Real Madrid's former training complex). The skyscrapers are the tallest in Madrid and also in Spain. In the backdrop you can make out the mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama.

PHOTOGRAPHY: REFLECTIONS

I took this photo on a recent visit to Madrid. The Temple of Debod, an authentic ancient Egyptian temple donated to Spain in 1968, and - in the backdrop - the Torre de Madrid and Edificio España buildings in Plaza de España, which for many years were the tallest buildings in the city. I love how this eclectic mix of architecture is reflected in the water surrounding the temple.

MADE IN CLERKENWELL

House of Cally will be exhibiting at Made in Clerkenwell. The event, organised by Craft Central, will run from 27 to 30 November and showcases work by more than 100 designers in three different locations.

Tickets for this event cost £3 and are available to purchase online. Nearest tube: Farringdon.

Locations

1. 21 Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0DX
2. 33-35 St John's Square, London EC1M 4DS
3. The Goldsmiths’ Centre, 42 Britton Street, London EC1M 5AD

Opening times

• Thursday 27 November: 5 - 8pm
• Friday 28 November: 12 - 8pm
• Saturday 29 November: 12 - 5pm
• Sunday 30 November: 12 - 5pm* 

*The Goldsmiths’ Centre is closed on Sunday.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ORANGE MOON

This photo of the Moon was taken last night in the wild west of London. The colour was spectacular.

PHOTOGRAPHY: RED SKY AT NIGHT

What's that saying? "Red sky at night, shepherd's delight!"... I don't think tomorrow is going to be particularly warm, but pretty coloured skies make up for the fact that the sun has set before 5pm.

ILLUSTRATION: ASTERIX AND FRIENDS

Illustration titled Asterix and Friends.

TRANSLATION: PEACE NOW

The article above is a translation that I did several years ago while I was living in Guadalajara, Spain. The original article was written by Laura Rincón for the La Colmena, the cultural section of the now defunct newspaper Guadalajara DosMil.

It is an interview with Shay Fleishon, activist for the Israeli NGO Peace Now, who visited Guadalajara in October 2008 for an awareness raising campaign for the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine. During his 3-day visit, I acted as his translator in visits to schools throughout the province, meetings with local politicians, talks at the Guadalajara campus of the Universidad de Alcalá, and - last but by no means least - interviews with journalists. I was thankfully spared the daunting task of appearing on local television.

Over the years, I have worked on a wide variety of translation projects, but this has probably been the most rewarding. It gives an interesting insight into the work carried out by Peace Now, the troubles faced by both Israelis and Palestinians and how they are working towards finding a peaceful solution to the troubles. Something that, more often than not, looks completely impossible.

ILLUSTRATION: PEACOCK

Illustration titled "Peacock".

ILLUSTRATION: FLAMINGOES

Illustration titled "Flamingoes".