2010

Snow is cold and white and wet, except when it is very cold: then it feels dry, or if it has been around for a while, then it is generally more grey, nearly black some of the time. I like the dry white kind of snow, undisturbed, no foot prints, no tire tracts, most importantly no cigarette butts.
Snow in the city is great, - when you don't have to be anywhere, and it is night, with a full moon or so. The mix of reflective light pollution and moon light gives everything a gentle amber glow, the sounds are also softer, the snow as an acoustic dampening blanket with just crunch, crunch, crunch, of footsteps for company.
Don't mistake my words, I'm not in favor of light pollution, just used to it. I went away in to the country once, where there was no light bar the stars at night, I was not keen, I have to admit it scared me, also it was a while ago so no need to charge things with little red lights, the only power point was powering the lamp, which just made the shadows worse, so I had just the dark ... the same with eyes open or shut, not keen at all.
Dog likes the snow though, plays, rolls, eats, even chases the snow, if a snowman is built he'll eat it, and it would be with a metaphorical anthropomorphised smile on his face ... or turn the snow yellow, that proves it is his, don't y' know!

Anyway, Happy New Year

Snowy Snow

It's April?

Five tree rings

Be woken up at late but not to late o’clock with a cup of peppermint tea (my fav morning drink) by my much beloved emb. Chat, open cards, and be generally sickening.

Then got a phone call saying you didn’t get the job you applied for (optional). (On the plus side they told me when they said they would, and I got good feedback). Have friends phone and be congratulary on anniversary, and positive about interview.

Eat light breakfast, have shower, drink more tea, have suggested you should dry your hair properly as it is cold and you might catch a chill. Get dressed in girl clothes, including tights I managed not to put my hand through. Strangely I didn’t feel silly.

Go for Carvery; eat fantastic veggies and a small Yorkshire pudding. We forgot the veggie gravy, but they had some and it was really nice (not salty). Then I had a vanilla ice cream swimming in butterscotch sauce, I eat all most all the butterscotch and about half the ice cream. EMB had turkey, veggies, a huge Yorkshire but no ice cream. Drink sparkling water, still no none medication caffeine this year!

Go home, play with excessively over excited puppy, more peppermint tea and then retire for a nap, get woken a bit later with more peppermint tea, more phone calls, and then a view out the window at what could have been mistaken for the start of Ragnarök, horizontal snow and all.

Chat to family, good wishes and discussions of the weather. Discuss food, feed puppy, and start to cook. Snuggle down to watch pre-decided appropriate film while eating, with a break for more tea, and “rainy snow”. Watch film, with out comments having discovered EMB had never seen the end! More tea, more chat, type up day, go to sleep happy …

Solo Adventure

From the apartment you can see a temple. (top right of photo above what looks like a light gray box)

Based on this I hatched a plan, I'd walk down to Freedom Park (Bottom Left), see how I was doing and maybe walk to the temple, now on the photo it may not look far but it is 35c and over 50% humidity. So hot and sweaty.

Anyway freedom park is lovely, very peaceful with lots of shade. I'm not sure what time school finishes here but there seemed to be a fair few school children around, boys being noisy and the like. What I did notice was that everyone was in the shade, of which there was a lot.

Feeling ok I decided to make the trip to what I later discovered was the (Buddhist) Chetawan Temple. which in the photo above looks small but is actually a complex of shrines and temples, even having a homemade waterfall.

First port of call was the office where there was a nice lady looking like she'd just got up and a saffron clad Monk using a computer. I asked if I could look round, was told yes, asked if I could take photos, was told yes, I checked, everywhere? Monk nodded, lady said yes. Hence there are many photos.

As I wondered around I got to see many things and reinforced my belief that fire, smoke, sunshine and faith is a good combination.

Part Husky

I think Ulrick is part husky, he loves the snow, and so does lady, so long as it’s not too deep. We spent ages playing, throwing snow and the like. Although Ulrick couldn’t work out how the snowballs he fetched disappeared before he got them back, but fair play melting is hard to understand.

Taxi

I got a taxi again to day from work, phoned to book it, chap remembered my name, and where I live. On the way home we talked about the Egyptians and listened to radio 4

Looking Back

Back to the UK, yesterday I was swimming in the sea and lying on a beach, when I landed it was cold and wet and raining. I want to move, south Spain would be nice, but right now it is any place but here. (that dog passports work, so EU)

early o'clock

I'm ill. Not as ill as I was, which is nice.

Still a bit ill, however I have dogs and chickens which require me being awake at stupid o'clock.

So I'm awake, typing this, which is supposed to help, how being awake at stupid o'clock helps I'm not sure. Even the chickens are hiding, which is unusual, ulrick is barking at the rain, not sure what he thinks the rain is, but he's not a fan of thunder and lightning, but then who is. I'm worried about bonfire night, not sure how he's going to do with fireworks, that'll be interesting.

He's still barking at the rain.I think he misses EMB, who is at the wedding where I should be. Such is life!