1. John returns from the across-the-road neighbours with a bright flowering plant in a lovely white pot – they were going to throw it away because it’s flowering season is coming to the end for the year. We’ll let it flourish again.
2. The inclusion of pinenuts was inspired, even if I do say so myself.
3. Despite some incredibly late nights and intermittent work, I feel very rested and at peace instead of stressed and overwhelmed. I hope this year will continue as it has started.
(One from last night first)
0. I cleanse and moisturise my face before going to bed. When I look in the mirror, the cream has replaced the pallor of the day with healthy pink.
1. Two squirrels spin a spiral around the silver birch tree.
2. Considering it’s supposed to be a World of Warcraft, people are generally generous and considerate – helping each other out without being asking or without expecting reward.
3. The chocolate cake is deliciously rich and heavy. I have a second slice.
Hurrah for 2010!
1. Instead of the usual light pollution glow of night, we go to bed when the rich velvet blue dawn light is rising upward from the trees.
2. We wake slowly, awkwardly and, frankly, far too soon. We stretch out amongst the devastation of the night before and laugh again at funny moments from the party. With bacon butties in hand and a selection of cartoons playing on the TV, we enjoy the downtime until we start feeling human again.
3. The purple port stain on the sink, the discarded citrus fruit nearby.
1. I wonder if I’d get such joy from a clean kitchen if it was so neat and shiny all the time or whether it’s the novelty of the situation that excites me so much.
2. Katherine visits for a cup of tea and Joe shows off his smile. It’s now available on demand and not just when his facial muscle twitch at the right time.
3. The soft white root pushing through the green mung beans’ swollen shells.
1. I move from room to room opening the curtains to let in the day. My favourites are the ones in the dining room because they whoosh dramatically.
2. The wood splits perfectly down the middle and by coincidence, the logs I’ve chosen stack neatly in the box. Despite the snow on the ground and on the wood itself, I’m sweating by the time I’ve carried the box up the stairs into the house and I’m reminded of an article I read a few months ago, about how wood should heat you three times: once with the exertion of felling the tree, once with the exertion of splitting it, and then finally when it’s on the stove.
3. I plop a heavy bubble of cranberry & cinnamon bath foam into the water. The torus is blood red and looks stunning but frighteningly visceral. I store the image in my mental “if I ever need gory special effects for a homemade horror movie” file.
1. I move from room to room opening the curtains to let in the day. My favourites are the ones in the dining room because they whoosh dramatically.
2. The wood splits perfectly down the middle and by coincidence, the logs I’ve chosen stack neatly in the box. Despite the snow on the ground and on the wood itself, I’m sweating by the time I’ve carried the box up the stairs into the house and I’m reminded of an article I read a few months ago, about how wood should heat you three times: once with the exertion of felling the tree, once with the exertion of splitting it, and then finally when it’s on the stove.
3. I plop a heavy bubble of cranberry & cinnamon bath foam into the water. The torus is blood red and looks stunning but frighteningly visceral. I store the image in my mental “if I ever need gory special effects for a homemade horror movie” file.
© 2024 Louisa Parry