Little People

I love miniature things. These mini drawings of little people in my neighbourhood are by a Mexican artist, Pablo Delgado, who lives nearby. Delicious!

Goldsmith Row, nr Hackney City Farm

Radio 4 are looking for suggestions for a 'Women's Power List', which comes accompanied by the ongoing debate about why there are still so few women that hold powerful roles. Or rather, so few that are publicly prominent and recognised. I was really shocked to hear John Humphrey's on the Today programme saying that they couldn't find a female expert to discuss breast cancer so asked a male expert to 'imagine' he was a woman. Luckily some women have taken the initiative to address this with a new website listing experts.

One obvious change that I never hear suggested is to reduce the crazy work hours of these senior roles. The macho culture of staying in the office for 10 to 14 hours is ridiculous. Its bad for our health, social life, relationships. And I'm convinced that long hours doesn't necessarily mean you are more productive. Granted when you have a very senior role you do have to work harder, as your responsibility grows and there are more decisions to take, but this shouldn't mean that you spend long days in the office every day. There is this amazing invention, the internet, which has removed the need to physically be in an office all day at certain hours. So why not work when you can, arranging it around all the other commitments life has? And if you are working from 8am to 8pm 5 days a week, and on the weekend, perhaps you are actually doing two people's jobs.

you don't need to look this to be superwoman

If you are in a senior role, you have it within your power to change this working culture, to lead by example, and to create a more positive working environment for those lower down the pay scale. This is the revolution that will enable more women to go back to work once they've had children, and for more men to spend time sharing childcare without the stigma that less hours means less commitment. Or for those that don't become parents, they should be able to finish work at a reasonable hour without having to pick up the slack for those leaving to pick up their kids from school.

A friend told told me about her (female) director who denied a part time working application for a new mother on the basis that 'I had to work full time whilst being a mother, I found it hard but had to make sacrifices, so why shouldn't you too?' Where's the sisterhood! If I ever get to a senior role where I can shape the working environment, top of my list will be making sure everyone is able to work around their life, not live around their work.

Day of the Dead

my window sill on sunday

On Sunday Mexicans from across London gathered in my neighbourhood to celebrate Dia de los Muertos.

I really love this Mexican version of Halloween which goes back to Aztec times. It has some purpose to it, rather than just a fancy dress theme.

The idea is to bring mementos, photos and favourite drinks or food, of the dead that you want to remember. These are added to an altar along with flowers, fruits and symbols of death/life. The atmosphere in the community centre where this was held had become a magical, calm space.

Remembering and celebrating the dead isn't ghoulish, its an important part of the cycle of life. I love rituals with timeless relevance like this.  Its a shame we don't have many opportunities in British modern culture to honour the dead. We have national moments such as Remembrance Sunday, but no tradition for remembering your family, friends, idols or even pets. The Wellcome Collection's current exhibition, Death: a Self-portrait, explores some of these issues - how we confront or hide from death. As my mother said when I gave her an apron with day of the deal skeletons adorning it - 'Oh i don't want to see those, they just remind me that I will be one soon!'

Aside from the solemnity of the occasion, the mariachi played with such enthusiasm they continued through a fire alarm, and the colourful decorative skulls and catrinas (images of dressed up skeletons) make it a visual feast too. In fact the imagery of the day of the dead is becoming more and more fashionable. The skulls providing a more democratic, folk, human version of Damian Hirst's cynical bling diamond skull.

The altar

women dressed as catrinas