A small cog rambling on

Although part-time, Chris is at his desk far more than the photo suggests, but still finds time to stop and smell the flowers. Click here to catch up on the other entries to our office blog relay, a whistle-stop tour of Greenpeace staff here in the UK.

I guess this relay blog has itself become something of a testament to Greenpeace's persistence. Just when you start thinking it might go away quietly and disappear from view it comes right back at you. So, while I'd never imagined it'd actually get round to me, it's unavoidably my turn - here goes.

"Write about your work," was the suggestion. Er, you mean, as a part time administrator supporting our street fundraising team, who are out on the streets persuading people to give generously to Greenpeace? Are you kidding? Suffice to say, it's fairly routine and success, as you might expect, tends to be measured in thickness of direct debit forms processed. Ah, good ol' DDs. We can't get enough of ‘em! We have a fantastic team of face-to-face fundraisers who some of you may bump into at Glastonbury. If you do, say hello, they do a great job.

There's more to the job, of course, if not necessarily greater thrills - blame Adam Smith and his revolutionary ideas around division of labour. Clearly, keying in data is not for everybody. But for me, 'retired' at 35, dotcom bust at 40 and struggling to take earning a living seriously since, the important thing is to enjoy what you do, which I do. It takes all sorts!

I've served my time too - 10 years of IT consultancy in the insurance sector, offset (a bit) by conservation work and volunteering. While Greenpeace wanted a new area networker, I was happy just stuffing campaign materials into mailing sacks - for the right cause, naturally. And the association has lasted far longer than that consultancy ‘career' did.

But then what other organisation would close down a coal-fired power station and then win a public trial gaining worldwide plaudits and commendations? While anyone, given the right public relations and media spin, can be a ‘hero' these days, to do that sort of thing knowing the possible consequences - prison sentences or worse - takes real courage. It's a reminder both of how topsy-turvy our very unnatural human-made world has become and how everyone can play a part in changing things for the better.

Working part time and being a practiced idler also gives me more time to enjoy the things that others can only fleetingly take for granted. Like the scent of lime blossom - worth stopping to appreciate.

You should be able to locate your local lime tree simply by following your nose. It's the one with the pale green bracts and clusters of tiny yellowish flowers. Ignore the steady drizzle of sap from guzzling greenflies, get up close and take a few deep breaths. You might also hear buzzing. Look above you. I stood under one and watched 20, 50, 100 or more bees raiding the nectar. Hopefully, you'll see bees too.

The season for scented lime is short - just two or three weeks during the longest days of summer - then that's it for another year. Enjoy it while it lasts. Indeed, the best things in life are free, as the saying goes, although far too often disappearing fast - trashed without irony in an evidently terminal pursuit of ‘growth'.

Or they would be, if people weren't given the chance to see the bigger picture. That's where Greenpeace comes in...