Builder's tea and Polish sausage

Wednesday was the last official day of Catch 22 for the October cohort, so no more bi-weekly trips to Seven Sisters for me. Which may not sound like a shame, but really it is! Although it's not the most salubrious of areas, one of the great things about Seven Sisters is that high street chains have mostly overlooked it. Sure there's a big retail park a mile down the road full of those familiar brands, but the High Road is full of independent cafes and shops.

Sure I'm a massive food snob but sometimes a greasy spoon cafe is the perfect place to be, especially when it's one degree outside and you want something warm and comforting to eat. Cafe la City, is plonked right next to behemoth Tesco (sadly that's one chain you can't escape), and the staff there are bloody lovely. The food is exactly what you'd expect- fast, filling and relatively cheap. The bread is white and the tea comes in a mug, but it's unpretentious and so are the customers. The solitary man in a smart suit borrows the ketchup from the gaggle of college kids' table. Mums with pushchairs gossip next to builders reading The Sun. Forget daytime TV, spending an afternoon people watching here is far more entertaining than any synthetic soap.

Another great cafe is Tradicia, which is further up the High Road, near Bruce Grove station. The specialties are crepes and Polish food, but there are delicious salads, sandwiches and hot dishes on the menu too. The service is quite slow, even when you're the only customer! But if you have an hour to kill for lunch the turquoise exterior and the thought of delicious home made food will bring instant cheer to a mundane workday lunch.

New Year, not quite new you

Last night I couldn't sleep, had a tummy ache and kept checking I had all my work. In the middle of the night I woke up panicking that I had a massive project to complete. Yep, I had the back-to-school Sunday blues, worsened by the fact that it was a Monday night. Although I do love Catch 22 when I'm there, a two-week break of eating, drinking and making merry has left me with no motivation.

Before we all left Tottenham for the Christmas holidays, I have to say that tensions were rising in the October Cohort. Everyone had busted their bums getting the first draft of their article for the spring mag in on time, add that to the pressure cooker that is this intensive course and you get lots of grumpy students. Ever optimistic, I thought that perhaps attitudes might have changed whilst people took some time out with their loved ones. Sadly, everyone isn't on the same page just yet and after just one news meeting defences were rising and people are being snide to one another.

I'm not naive enough to believe that a disparate group of people must be friends just because they work together. But I do feel that we've all been given an amazing opportunity to learn so much for free, and our attitudes are really going to affect what we take from the course, and the experience of others.

Without sounding like too much of a hippy, we need to re-group and have some positive team bonding. There's only a month left to go and the pressure is mounting...