Go to the nearest window. Look out for a full minute. Write about what you saw.

This is a view that I’m not familiar with. I’m attending a conference for work and, most unusually, I’m staying in a hotel for the night. It’s not the most inspiring view, but it’s definitely not the worst I’ve seen either, that award goes to the Marriot in Portland and the wonderful view two foot from our windows of a whitewashed wall!

It’s a very quiet spot; surrounded by trees, farmland and a small country road along the side of the property. There are few cars in the section of the car park that I can see from the window, but I know that there are far more around the other side of the building as there seem to be a number of conferences taking place in the building. If I turn to the left I can see the main building of the hotel along with a bank of air conditioning units, skylights and flat roof extensions that have been tacked onto the building over the years.

The weather outside is horrible; the rain is lashing at the window and the wind is getting stronger as the afternoon progresses. I’m actually quite glad that I haven’t got to drive home tonight in these conditions. A couple of birds have flown past, braving the weather, but nothing else appears to be moving. The sky stays a monotonous grey as it has been all day.

I can occasionally hear a car pass on the road outside and an odd gust of wind but otherwise all is peaceful.

It’s a slightly odd experience to be writing my post so early in the day, especially as it’s still light. The course has finished for the day and I have a couple of hours to entertain myself before dinner. I might just have to have an afternoon nap in the absolutely massive, very comfortable bed before meeting my fellow conference delegates for a pre-dinner drink; how wonderfully civilised!