december had so much food, walking and birdwatching! i finally did the hsk4 exam and despite some technical hiccups, i think it was probably enough to pass. we drove north to be with our respective families, spending christmas apart for the first time, which was a little bittersweet, but safer. and as a final coup de grâce on this weird year, we managed to lock ourselves out of the house on the last day of the year. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ oh well.
Category: one second everyday
lots of new birds, rain, video dinners with friends, a short caravan trip to hike around alentejo and check on our favorite coast, new succulents, lots of walking… and so much chinese studying.
a good month by all accounts, but i think this year is finally getting to me. :( slowly, tiredness settled in and it felt like my energy was barely enough to keep up with work and studying for the exam. i tried to squeeze in some walking everyday, but everything else just felt like too much.
october was a really full month, work-wise: after months of preparations we launched the world postcard day, aaaaaand a few days later opened the new postcrossing forum as well. it’s been a bit non-stop, and i could really use a break.
apart from that, there was lots of zooming, we got to see our new baby “nephew”, played a new star wars themed game, and did some painting in the house to try to remedy the landlord’s inertia. we walked a little bit everyday, tried to enjoy the last warm days. we also went north for a few days to stock pantries, take the family to the doctor and check on everyone from afar. so far, they’re all healthy — we’re keeping our fingers crossed it stays that way!
ah, my poor abandoned blog… where were we?
september was all #worldpostcardday and the new postcrossing forum all the time… though, as usual, the seconds i film tend not to focus much on that. i actually forgot to film stuff on so many days, sucked too deep into work to remember other things. :( sigh. we really need a break.
still, the seconds don’t lie — we did do other things too! friends and dogs staying over, science walkabouts, beach walks, a few nights playing wingspan, birdwatching…
an intense but good month overall.
august was probably the happiest month of the year so far.
life regained some semblance of normality, with a couple of our friends coming over to stay with us for some weeks, along with their dogs. i’d forgotten how nice it is to have guests roommates! we had long walks with them, went to the beach and birdwatched a few times, attended a couple of socially-distanced outdoor concerts (with assigned seats and masks), practiced how to solve a rubik’s cube, did picnics with more friends, and learnt more about the environment in our town through the summer activities that the local science center organizes.
i’m ok with this new normal, a careful arrangement of masks, distances and social circles that feels safeish. bring it on, september!