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birdwatching

common waxbill

because my back is kind of crappy, i’ve been taking more walks lately, which usually help. if the back doesn’t hurt too much and i feel like i can carry a bit of weight, i’ll usually carry the camera-with-the-nice-zoom to see what we can find. this week, waxbills!

they are so tiny and cute, which is probably the reason they’ve been introduced in many different places despite being a sub-saharan species. the name comes from the strip of red around their eyes and beak, which is the color of sealing wax (the stuff one used to put on letters, to close them).

they’re everywhere here in the south, usually puttering around in groups on the grass, but sometimes also high up on the reeds.

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weeknotes

weeknotes, 26-27/22

ah… home, sweet home. picking up new books to read from the library. taking walks on the beach. checking in on the neighbors and watching movies with friends. writing postcards. taking a day to properly celebrate having lived 40 years on earth, with some birdwatching and a nice meal. painting my hair. walking on the treadmill again. swinging by the chinese shop to stock on things and discover new stuff. hiring people to fix the house (but only after summer, sigh). checking the mail. working for long stretches of uninterrupted time.

it’s just been really nice to be back.

one thing that hasn’t been all that nice though is the pins and needles on my right arm that come and go at odd times, without seemingly any cause. :( i’ve called a doctor and they recommended a cervical MRI, to check for any nerves being pressed on my back (even though i have no pain). so into the machine i’ve gone this week, and next week we’ll have the results and go from there.

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one second everyday

june 2022 — one second everyday

hello june!

most of it was spent at the in-laws, so there’s a lot of bucolic life, doctor appointments and relatives swinging by. but also nice food that i associate with the north and a reprieve from the southern heat — the rain was most welcome! and then towards the end of the month we came back home, to celebrate st. john’s with the parents who had been “housesitting” for us. they were gone shortly after we came, and we just rested and caught up on life. it was a tough month, and i was glad to be back home by the end of it.

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one second everyday

may 2022 — one second everyday

may feels like a million years ago… so much has happened since then that if it wasn’t for the videos, i don’t think i would be able to recall half of the stuff we did.

we walked and walked… sometimes in my new birkenstocks (which were a bit painful to break into). disinfected the house and washed all the things when we found out the boy was allergic to dust mites. tried to make burek at home. watched eurovision. read quite a bit. met heidi, a friend from finland that was in town. went to the islamic fest in mértola at last. cooked noodles. re-watched the matrix movies. and then drove north to help the family.

Categories
weeknotes

weeknotes, 24-25/22

these were a difficult couple of weeks. as the novelty of being north wore off, it gave way to frustration and impatience. i had my 40th birthday, but we barely celebrated it because we were just drained.

we forced ourselves to be patient and kind while we procured home assistance services for the in-laws. we tried out a couple of them until we found one that could deliver cooked meals and do some hygiene tasks, and when everything was finally set up and working, they took our place and we drove back home.

oh, the feeling of being home, and sleeping on one’s own bed. it’s magical beyond words. and to have your parents waiting with arms wide open, ready to relieve you of the task of cooking 3 meals a day… bliss.