a full week in the north, without going anywhere… feels good to settle down, at last.

we finally went to ikea and got ourselves a myriad of things that make a home. plus some desks, at long last! now that we’re not working from the dining table, things feel a bit more real somehow. the office is an awkward corner of the house with walls at odd angles and not much light, but it’s something! next on the list: some plugs and chairs, maybe lamps.

in other good news, my leftover thyroid is doing ok! i’ve been feeling “something” in my throat for some time now, and wanted to get it checked in case it’s something new… but no, the technician said it’s probably just something that feels off because it was touched by the surgery — i can live with that.

there was a big fire going on nearby, and the smoke from it has made a very hot week even worse. the air quality is terrible, and there’s ash everywhere, with the skies being extra dramatic. none of it matters of course, not when compared to the terror that the local people must be going through.

the new apartment is holding up well though, barely heating up when it’s over 35C outside. ah, the miracles of modern insulation!

finished reading jason polan’s the post office, which deserves its own blog post. struggling a bit with i deliver parcels in beijing, and also listening to jenny odell’s how to do nothing (has some good points, but is filled with other, less interesting stuff). i guess overall i’ve been in a streak of bad luck with reading lately – it happens.

yesterday we kidnapped little niece for a bit, so we could entertain her while her parents were busy. even though we don’t have any toys in the house, we still did lots of things: “wrote” and mailed a postcard, played with stones in the rooftop garden, checked out the trains in the nearby station, rode the artsy cows, cooked and cleaned… everything is a game and a new adventure with a small child!