"Happy Thursday! ;.) x"

It began even as I got on the bus this morning. A guy clutching a plastic bag containing a box with a white rose inside, frantically and repetitively pulling at the minuscule bag in a vain attempt to cover its contents. Nervous, excited, unsure as to the reception?

Throughout the day I saw people waltzing past the large windows fortunately located immediately adjacent to my desk. Some carrying perky, little hand-tieds, others with a single red rose and a rather unattractive bunch of what looked like dill(?!) and a variety of bouquets - some with red, some white, some pink roses, a number of lily based decorations, several tulips... Most looked like they were on the donating end of the story. Several paper bags with red roses emblazoned on the sides looked conspicuously as though they contained gifts of some sort

As I left the office, overwhelmed at the amount of florals parading by all day, I noticed a destinct change in the people carrying goods of a red/pink nature. One was carrying 3 very tired roses, and looking terrible tired and sad. Another was sharing teeny tiny cupcakes from a box with a red ribbon with her beloved, and as I approached my home a young girl carried a pale pink bouquet pulling 6-7 pink balloons after her, tumbling about in the cold winter air. Looking hopeful.

You can tell who's in a relationship that matters to them (noone would go to the pains of purchasing a pink/red gift on the 14th of Feb if they didn't mean it..)

From a sociological perspective it's an interesting day. The impact on my life, however, is rather more subtle. And in fact quite reassuring.

Spring has been poking about, tempting all of us to a smile at the white-blue sky and a layer less on our pale winter bodies. I'm liking it. Particularly when I look at it from the 9th floor flat that is my new home.

"Newsflash: Street sweepers enforcing art censorship on the streets of London"

On my way to work there's a little, black piece of graffiti on a wall, all the way by the ground. It's a little rat with a NY-cap on his head and a ghetto blaster on his shoulder. Mhm. It's a Banksy. He used to be kept company by several other pieces of graffiti, but since the street cleaners (you're not really a street sweeper if you have a powerful water blaster and toxic chemicals with you to clean up) came by a few weeks ago, he's been all on his lonesome. Weird, huh? They work on a tiny alley for 2 days, and coincidentally forget to remove a little black rat that was right next to some of the other stuff they got rid of.

I realise that his "works" are worth massive amounts of money, and that there are several online maps guiding people to see the "works of art", and that he is an enigma on the art scene, but tell me again - what right does mr. Banksy have to draw on someone's building that the next person doesn't? ..'cause I doubt he asked permission in advance, you know. One of the now removed graff's next to the rat made an appropriate comment: "Shit off - I'm proper Banksy!". I doubt he was talking to himself, as he wrote...

I appreciate the focus on street art that Banksy has helped to enforce - I've loved it for years on end. I just think it's questionable that established governing bodies because of someone's commercial success accepts, maintains and protects what is otherwise seen as a blight. It goes against the whole idea of street art - it's temporary, you see it or you don't, and the thoughts and insights that it leads to are as valuable as the original piece itself. I really appreciated the "Shit off" comment! What a great way to start your day. Yes I DO mean it.