I say I live in Greenwich whenever people ask. But I’m technically in a Lewisham postcode and spiritually closer to Deptford. Yes, I do engage in postcode snobbery. Saying I’m from Greenwich makes me 10% cooler. The practice is pretty rife in London, unlike in Liverpool, which is equally great everywhere -  and makes me 100% cooler.

Both Liverpool and Deptford have had a history of deprivation and poverty. Both are trying to shed their bad reputation. Honestly, you won’t get your tyres stolen in Liverpool. Times have changed. Now, your identity, credit cards and wife will be stolen while you are admiring your shinny new tyres. The money will be used to buy Mozart tickets. Capital of Culture 2008.

The news coming out of Deptford is dire (look up “Deptford stabbings”) but I do believe that things can change. The area has been recommended by the New York Times. The East London line extension will be complete soon in June 2010. The most tangible sign of improvement is the opening of a Tesco Metro on Deptford High Street:

Tesco will save us! More importantly, it will save me a 20 minute trek into Lewisham.

Friday 16 October has been on my mind for a while. Today was the date of accountancy exam results. Passing meant I could stay in the job for a few more months. Failure meant I would be going back to Scouseland. The other trainees had been nervous all day. We’ve spent countless hours on consolidated accounts and tax computations – no one wanted a retake.

I passed. If you don’t believe me, you can search for my name on the ICAEW website.

I celebrated by performing a petty cash count with my flatmate on his box of change. I initially offered him £10 for the box, which he rejected.

The total came to £86.68 – including 454 hand-counted pennies. I’ve included some bottles of beer in the photo to dispel rumours that accountants were unexciting.

For me, relief trumps happiness. It’s a hard road to become a chartered accountant. The next step for me is to ensure the controls around cashing the money at the bank are working correctly.

The blog is now in its normal state of autumnal neglect. There are no big events but a series of smaller reflections.

One working knee
Is all I have. I’ve been told to lay off the training for six weeks. I tried to cycle with one leg and found out it doesn’t really work at all. Struggled.

One year on
From living in London, from stating my job and from joining the church. I see the same faces and get to build relationships. Stable.

Playing guitar in church
I’ve been playing the guitar for about 10 years. I got to play at church last Sunday despite not learning any more chords in the past 5 years. Actually, I have learnt the strange John Mayer chords that require huge hands and ridiculous dexterity to play. However, they are obscure enough to be nameless. Anyway, all you need for church is D. Simple.

It went well. I lost feeling (or blood circulation) to my right hand but carried on playing. 80% of the chords were hit on time, and the ones I missed are inaudible to the human ear anyway.

What could disrupt this current peace and stability? Exam results on Friday. Sadness?