September 2025

August somehow feels like around 5 months ago. Since I started teaching a few years ago, Septembers have become something of a hectic month, but I like my job, so it's not the same looming 'back to school' dread I always used to have as a kid. Way too many of these visual diaries are about my job though — not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing (I did spend most of my summer doing... not very much, so maybe it's good that I'm back on my game now, even if it is a bit all consuming)

Term doesn't start until late September, but we all log back on (grumpily) on September 1st, to commence plotting. (I would actually happily keep working over the summer, but apparently no one else does, so I take it easy too.)

Since around July last year, we had Kelly-Jessie on anti anxiety meds. We decided to see if all the behavioural work had paid off, and we could take her off them, as they're pretty expensive, but... (she's back on the meds again)

Had a very satisfying day clearing out junk from the MA Design for Data Visualisation studio before the students arrive (my newwww job!!) 

Very much enjoyed this silly arrangement at Waterloo when the usual Jubilee line entrance was closed, but signage alone was not enough to deter single minded commuters from still going that way. 

Every time I round this corner I seem to see this same fox hanging out here

I've been attending Quaker meeting since 2019 and I guesssssss... I feel like they're my buddies now?! I know most of their names?! People have stuff to say to me after meeting? It's cute and nice to feel liked by a bunch of random people who have no obligation to like me or speak to me.

Some days it's both ways

A lot of 'very productive but didn't move enough' days this month.

I think that my washing up ability has remained consistent throughout the years, and yet...

 

Four years since my 'something is wrong with my throat' referral, and we have finally established: it's not my lungs! Onwards, to an ENT referral!

We love to see it :)

Had a nice day stewarding as part of the Open House festival at my Quaker meeting house — we have all these amazing old documents that we put out when we do it, like old invoices from the 1800s for coal. Just very banal stuff but all gorgeously hand-calligraphied. 

Thinking a bit more about the 'sunday before school' feeling. Funny to have ended up here...

This is a very bad drawing of my lovely new studio. The BA UX studio has a lovely (!) view of the noisy, sooty Elephant and Castle roundabout which I am admittedly very fond of, but the MA Data Vis studio has a view of a nice quiet residential street with beautiful leafy trees and the light is sooo gorgeous. (The day after I drew this, some men spent all day outside cutting down big chunks of said trees with petrol powered chainsaws and the vibe was somewhat ruined).

I do think of myself as queen of multi-tasking, and yet (mobile phone screenshot shows my extremely professional Teams chat with the timetabling lady)

A FUN TREAT, got to go to Brighton (my love) for a conference. Sadly day 1 conference coincided with day 1 period so I was a bit grumpy and achey, but I still had fun and enjoyed being back in one of my fav places (despite the rain)

The conference was all about UX in relation to space and place. I enjoyed this prompt about being 'custodians of the cul-de-sac' in a workshop.

Then BACK 2 THE TASKS (I have bought this upon myself because in addition to my new MA Design for Data Vis job I am also still teaching a day a week on BA UX, AND keeping up with my freelance work. It's all fun though, so it's hard to complain (I will complain)

She's got a belly, and some very special people get to see it (us)

Back to my partner's favourite visual diary format — we both draw famous characters from memory (they are playing Pokemon at the moment). Suffice to say... Emma is insufficiently familiar with the Pokemon franchise.

MA students start before BA students. Time for Emma to desperately try and remember their names. (I don't have a system, only chaos).

We ran a cute exercise where we sent them out along the river thames to gather and then visualise data, and they all did soooo gooooooood! I am so excited to get to know them all!

 

Sewer got blocked again. (Luckily I am the neighbourhood sewer witch and spotted it before it got to crisis point) (SOMEONE needs to stop putting wet wipes and fat down the damn drain)

 
When my partner goes away I live life MY way (as you can see, I am a real rebel)

After hearing a woodpecker where I walk Jessie many times, I finally saw it! (From a distance, barely) (I was very excited)

Got talking with my partner about the different types of dirt and decided to make this (probably incomplete) taxonomy.

The Quakers are doing an art exhibition! I'm displaying some of my old visual diaries as part of it (the first time I have ever formally displayed them publically). The lady who is leading on organising the exhibition seems convinced people might want to buy prints of them, but I'm like... what? 

The MA I teach on is a 15 month MA — part of the reason the Autumn term is so hectic is because we have a new cohort of fresh students, as well as the outgoing cohort who are finishing their projects. I am support tutor for half this group, and running tutorials with them is super fun/exhausting because I'm coming in mid-way through all their projects — after a day of talking to them all, my brain feels like it's fizzing with ideas (and I need a lie down)

I like a dinner where you wanna go back and run your finger round the pan/bowl after (this is a not very good depiction of that)

Onwards to October, where I hope to talk less about work, and more about... something else?!