we bump into Madam Zaskia, and cross her palm with olden coins

Across cobbled streets, we found ourselves in an arcade, filled with ancient slot machines. After I'd won few sweets from a crane, we passed by one of those fortune tellers.

It was a great opportunity to ask for a prediction for 2015. Well, we are still in January, after all.

Madam Zaskia needed large old coins to operate, which we managed to acquire and then after a satisfying 1d clunk, she wound into life and enchantingly began scribbling away on a note which eventually was delivered from a small slot in the front of her booth.

Here's Madam Zaskia's prediction for me, and I shall be intrigued to see what happens on Thursday. I'll be around Chelsea, in case anyone wants to join in.

These fortune tellers remind me of the thrill of seeing another one, when I was in a small town called Eureka, on the West Coast of the USA, a couple of years ago. Right outside the second hand bookstore was a Zoltar.

'What's a Zoltar?' I hear you ask. Why, only the very fortune teller used in the Tom Hanks movie 'Big'.

Of course I had a go, although I don't think I was on the extra lucky fourth turn, on that occasion.