Greetings

Hey there! Is it too late to wish you a Happy New Year? Although, let’s face it, it does feel more realistic to say Crappy New Year, don’t you think? I find it a bit funny how people are relieved to have 2020 behind them, when surely this year will be as bad, if not worse (especially here in the UK as we still have a joke of a government in power for at least another four years and Brexit finally has happened - and let’s not forget last week in Washington! - but yes, vaccines is obviously the game changer, although it’s shameful how all rich countries are ordering them all up)?! Ugh. But it’s always darkest before dawn etc etc. Worse things have happened, and we will get through this too. Just got to hold steady…

These pictures are from a local walk before Christmas, when I had more energy and could face leaving the house, and before our third lockdown which we are in now. I would give my right arm (ok, maybe my left? I’m right handed so I use it more, sooooooo) for more sunny cold days, but for the past few weeks it’s been bitterly cold and overcast, which is a pretty rubbish combination, as all it does is make you want to stay inside. I don’t know what tree this is, but it looked frickin’ awesome against the blue sky.

All lampposts should be smiling. Or even cry-smiling like this guy. I ran past him on my run this morning again and he made smile. Or maybe it’s a she?

I love our local woods so much and we are so lucky to live so close to it. And I should know that on days that I feel low, this is where I need to walk myself and clear my lungs and head.

These volunteers were cleaning out the tiny little pond, where opportunistic dogs sometimes go for a quick dip and humans don’t. “My” swimming pond shut last Tuesday, and I totally understand why, but goddamn do I miss it. It had just gotten to the best stage where everyone comes out of the water exhaling deeply because of the cold (it was + 4.5c when they closed) and with huge smiles on their faces.

Not a huge fan of parakeets. They’re noisy and make a mess. I call them the hooligans of the bird world. Every year that goes by with them not nesting near our garden is a good year, and when they do occasionally stop for a break nearby, I will them to keep on flying.

Surely this has to be the world’s best haircut?!! Or maybe half of the world’s best haircut. Such a fun idea.

I’m currently reading ‘The Hidden life of Tree’ by Peter Wohlleben which is making me look at the trees around me with very different eyes. They’re so sophisticated, clever and considerate to each other. It’s the perfect read for me right now, as I have to be very on top of how I’m keeping sane in these insane times. Hope you guys are looking after yourselves, and that you are able to keep your head up through this darkest of winters. It’s sometimes hard to remember, but spring always comes. Always.

Unexpected sunset of sorts

Last Friday I allowed a very tired me a day off (are you good at that? I’m not) and flopped on the bed and watched stuff on the computer. It had been a dreary and damp day, the kind where you wonder if the sun actually still exists, so I was really surprised when all of a sudden this appeared outside the window.

Earlier in the afternoon I started watching ‘Booksmart’, which I gave up on after 30 mins as I found it too annoying, then I tried an old Cary Grant movie but fell asleep (see, maybe I already am a napping lady), and finally I watched a documentary about housing in Sweden since the early 1900’s (which I really enjoyed) . Lots of it was filmed in the late 70’s and reminded me so much of my childhood in Stockholm.

Buddy took a nap too, on a pile of my clothes - of course.

I never knew that you could see a partial sunset from our house (I’m not usually in the bedroom on winter afternoons, and in summer it sets much further west). I miss seeing them like I used to in our old home. As it was happening I thought that I would just sit there and watch the whole thing, and really pay attention. It only lasted a few minutes, as I went to get the camera and started taking pictures. It’s a bit of a sickness, this need to capture things, or always asking “What will this look like as a picture?”. There is so much that I miss by trying to freeze time.

Anyway, that’s just how it is. In the meantime, if I remember to go into our bedroom around sunset, I might be disciplined enough to JUST watch it next time.

A little bit of the last few weeks

October 26th, 4.12pm
I‘ve been outdoors every day for the past few weeks, either swimming, running or going for walks, and this and the following two pictures are from a walk on Hampstead Heath. We met up with my father-in-law and my step mother-in-law and it was nice to check in on each other, as it was only the second time we’ve seen them since the beginning of the year. England has since gone into a four week lockdown, but it’s not quite as strict as the last one (it definitely has a very different feel). You are now allowed to meet one other person from another household outdoors “to exercise”, but sadly the Ladies Pond (although now Covid secure) closed on Thursday, even though outdoor swimming is regarded as low risk. It is what it is, and hopefully the lockdown won’t go on for much longer past the 2nd of December. I’ll make sure I go out daily though, regardless of the weather, and have longer cold showers so the cold water in the Pond won’t be too much of a shock with such a long break from it.

4.14pm
Anywaaaaaaay, back to the Heath walk. This fallen tree looked like a sculpture lying on its side like that. It was HUGE and reminded me of the shadow monster in Stranger Things.

4.31pm
Loved how neatly the leaves had fallen off the trees near Kenwood House.

October 28th, 10.42am
As it was half term that week we ventured into town to see the Arctic exhibition at the British Museum en famille (pics from there coming up in another post), and while we were there I spotted this guy on the roof of the Great Court. He’s not scared.

12.18pm

Outside the museum I found the pots of plants on the house on the left quite sweet. It looked like someone had tentatively just started gardening.

October 31st, 1.28pm

Halloween… without the trick or treating, because, yeah, you know. Still got a pumpkin that Mr Famapa carved to perfection though. He called him… Charlie Frown.

5.28-5.33pm
So what to do when you can’t go out trick or treating?! Hide sweets and let Oomoo loose with a head torch with all the lights off, that’s what.

“Warm, warmer… HOT!”

One room was reeeeeeeally scary!

Mr Famapa had hidden sweets on top of picture frames, door handles and in plant pots.

It was impossible to focus the camera in the dark. Maybe this is what a flash is for?! Don’t have one innit :D

November 6th, 8.23am
And finally, the sky yesterday morning. The clouds stayed that way for nearly the whole day. I love it when Mother Nature shows off, she da boss! That’s it for today. Have as great a weekend as you can have, while we wait for good news from across the Atlantic.

Kind of recently

Time. Anyone else struggling with it at the moment? Or maybe it is focus? For me it’s probably a combination of the two. I have so many things I should be doing but I don’t get round to, and then I get all frustrated with myself for not being disciplined enough to JUST DO IT. Actually, I’m only feeling this way this week, and up until now I’ve felt quite relaxed about everything, and so of course there’ll be a period where I’ll feel the opposite. It’s just how life goes… the yin and the yang and all that. And maybe it’s not so weird that my to do list has increased as I’ve been doing a lot of nice things recently… A couple of weeks ago it felt like we were going into another lockdown, so I made sure I stocked up on culture and hung out with friends. I have quite a few posts to put together from the past couple of months, but in the mean time I thought I’d send these pics out into the ether.

October 4th, 1.38pm
While we were eating lunch on Sunday, I saw something large flapping its wings at the back of the garden - turns out it was this heron. He/she sat out there in the rain for a few hours (I kept going back to see if it was still there), and it occurred to me to take a picture of it through our binoculars. Herons have a special place in my heart as the first time I saw one was in Amsterdam (and you know how I love that place). There is usually one hanging around the Ladies Pond in winter, but I’ve yet to spot it this season. Oh yes! I’m back swimming in the pond again, and am so grateful for being able to go and get my fix.

October 4th, 10.27am
Earlier the same day I wondered what it would like if I took a picture of Buddy lying below him on the floor. Turns it looks like this.

September 15th, 8.54am
Sunny mornings are the best (I hope we get many this winter).

September 11th, 5.47pm
And sunny afternoons are also good, especially now that the Mexican Fleabane in the planters have grown and cast great silhouettes against our frosted windows.

August 31st, 6.47pm
The resident hairdresser at work. One of Oomoo’s friends came over for a sleepover, and got a new haircut as well. Mr Famapa has been cutting my hair too since lockdown. That man has some serious skillz. Handy - and cheap!

August 28th, 10.59am
We should really count how many books he reads a year. I’m sure he’s beaten me many times over already (I’m on my 13th so far).

August 24th, 12.23pm
I turned 45 this year - what the?!! I’ll be half a hundred in five years time, but with all my friends touching that milestone already it doesn’t actually feel that weird. Anyway, Mr Famapa was away working (yay - for working and nay for not being here) but he ordered me and Oomoo some surprise cupcakes, which was so nice.