My apartment

"I would ruin this place if it was mine," my friend declared, as she looked at the bare walls of my living room.

In her context, she probably would. Friend is a fan of William Morris stained glass and foliate ornament. Guests to her house are hard-pressed to find a square inch of spare wall to hang their hat or anything else upon. Ironically, it was Morris who didsained the Victorian cult of things or, to be more accurate, manufactured things. The wallpapers and furniture from his craft workshops were fine to use - but I am not here to be hoist upon the idiosyncrasies of Morris.

I am a creature of the times - our times. I love shining, clear and uncluttered surfaces. I love clean lines, unadorned furniture and gleaming appliances. An interior should be an envelope through which we can glide, unhampered by ornament, frills or flounces, I always find.

In my apartment, my surfaces are just the right height, my bed just the right length. I don't have to walk too far from one room to another, yet I have this wonderful sense of space - something to do with the unpatterened walls and floors, maybe? If you loathe modernism/minimalism/functionalism, then my apartment wasn't built for you.

Destination, location

I have heard many pronouncements on bus announcements since the first came into being. Most people I know hate them. They can't bear the voice, buzzing in their ears to remind them what bus they are on, their destination and exact location. They can't, they say, 'forget the moment', lose themeselves in a book, paper or, increasingly, watch a DVD on a mini-player.

What surprises me about all of this is that I have always found it difficult to 'forget the moment' when in transit, especially on public vehicles. There is always a drama taking place; a child crying, an argument or burst of laughter to bring my drifting mind back to the present.

I actually welcome these destination, location announcements, being someone who is perennially lost. No more head-scratching, wondering if I am on the right bus. No more looking about frantically for a friendly stranger - who might not be available - to confirm location.

To those haters of bus announcements I say, fear not. In the course of time that voice will meld into the ordinary noise of life so that you can get on with your reading, knitting, whatever. And do spare a thought for us lost, puzzled, confused, non-confrontational people. We just want to reach our destinations.