It’s a boy! My chocobo hatched and promptly fell asleep for days. Fortunately he’s awake again and eating his San d’Orian carrots. Anyway, he’s called GrooveBat, and I wub him vewy much.

Most of my time has been spent finalising my New York schedule. Found a reasonably grotty hostel in Upper West Manhattan (one block from Central Park), the price of which increased by £100 the night before I was able to book it. I have some loose ideas for ways to pass the time while I’m there, centring mostly on art galleries and standard tourist activites. I’m both excited and nervous, as if I was about to dive from the top board. While I’m very comfortable with my own company, the prospect of spending five days alone in an entirely unfamiliar city is slightly daunting.