Twinkly Lights and the Penguin Shuffle
Winter brings with a it a mixed bag of feelings
Winter Is Here
Snow arrived. Then left. Not before thawing and melting into the scariest of black ice. My 5-minute bike ride to work became a 30-minute penguin-shuffle walk. My hips and thighs get so sore from being so tense, navigating the ice. I’m terrified of falling over. I fell once, straight backwards as my feet slipped out from under me. I jarred my left shoulder and was glad I had a hard glasses case because I smashed it (but not my glasses) on impact.
Every winter since I’ve moved here we’ve had at least one friend/acquaintance break something in their body from falling on the ice. My penguin-shuffle, cycle avoidance, and strap-on boot studs all help me avoid that scenario.
My view today out the widow is a beautiful layer of snow. When I started writing this, snow was slowly starting to gather. It was the hard, icy variety, gathering in nooks and crannies. Now I’m looking out at a picture postcard! A lovely layer of snow is covering everything - rooftops, roads, lawns, garden beds, branches, the railings of my balcony. It’s so pretty.
I’m enjoying the below zero temperatures. It brings a little bit of blue sky. The sun, hanging low in the sky and looking a little bleached and watery, peeks through clouds. I close my eyes and imagine it brings warmth. I think of the last time I stood on an Australian beach, feeling the same sun bring warmth to my face - although, it was probably face-searing heat. A girl has to dream.
Last year, we didn’t see the sun for the whole of November and December. The sky was a thick blanket of grey. They recorded 15 minutes of sunshine in this 2 month period. I really do like to see a little bit of sun and blue sky so this year seems sweeter, albeit colder.
Bring on a blanket of snow and minus Celcius temperatures.
Twinkling Lights
The bonus of living somewhere that’s plunged into darkness for December and January is the fairy lights. I am an avid fan! I have fairy lights up inside all year round. Some people wonder why. Especially in the long summer days when it never gets dark. But they’re pretty and twinkly and make me feel happy. But it has to be the warm twinkly lights. Not the cold, white ones. They just make me feel, well, cold. It’s cold enough here without adding to it.
Walking around town is lovely with every window displaying some kind of lighting - stars or similar. I wonder why they can’t just have sparkly, twinkly lights all winter instead of taking most of them down in January. A long religious tradition still seems to steer how things are done here, something I find quite strange at times. I appreciate those people who leave them up for months, they make a winter brighter.
I’ll just enjoy the twinkly lights whilst I can.
Stop/Start
I don’t know how many times I have started writing this in my head over the past 5 weeks. I’d say at least 8 times. I have this strange habit of writing in my thoughts, randomly as I’m doing other things. I’ve tried recording me saying it, but somehow it doesn’t work! What to do?
Notepad by the bed - tried that.
Carrying a notepad everywhere - tried that too.
I’m yet to find some sort of system that means I write down the amazing things I write in my head. I’ll let you know if I find something that works. Until then I will persevere with the above.
If you have techniques that work please let me know!
The Open Road
I left the archipelago. For only the second time in 18 months. We drove our electric car down Sweden, into Denmark, and dipped our toe into northern Germany. I can’t tell you how fabulous it was to be seeing new things, new places, new faces. I don’t know when we’ll be doing it again but I feel like I drank it all in. The trip needs its own story though, so I’ll leave you with a photo collage.
Freakin’ Festivities
I wasn’t going to mention the month of festivities that’s upon us, but here I go, adressing the tinsel-covered elephant in the room. This year, it’s a mixed bag for me. I've always loved this time of year, whether I’ve lived in the Southern or Northern Hemishere. But this year I’m a little uncertain about it all. The whole freaking world is full of uncertainty! Just when you think it’ll be smooth waters ahead a tidal wave comes from out of nowhere. You know what I’m talking about. You’re all living it, whereever you are in the world.
I’d really like to hang out with my family, not on Zoom but in person. I’d like to give them hugs. It’s been too long. The uncertainty isn’t going away. The limitations seem here to stay for an uncertain period of time. So it’s fairy lights, snow blankets, and looking on the brightside that will sustain me. And possibly a lovely Imperial Stout!
Until next time,
Lisa xx
Some Other Things:
📚 I’ve just Kate Grenville’s latest, A Room Made of Leaves. It’s a great read. If you’ve read Grenville’s The Lieutenant or The Secret River, you’ll recognise the themes - early settlement in Australia, contact with First Nations peoples, women’s experiences. She’s a great writer and this one gives an interesting perspective.
📚 Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano is also a great read. It’s a story of love, loss, and coming-of-age, centering around a plane-crash. I read it in one sitting.
📚 Non-fiction highlights: I finally finished The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor. It’s a must read - for every person on this planet. There’s a puberty edition for kids. It’s an excellent companion to the documentary Embrace by Australian, Taryn Brumfitt. I donated to her Kickstarter campaign to make the Embrace doco which has now been seen by millions. She’s making another documentary for kids (donate here).
📚 Blackfulla Bookclub is a fantastic Instagram account to follow! Creators @teelareid and @min_dutton started the account in 2020 to share great books by Aboriginal writers. They’re even starting an in-real-life bookshop
🦄 I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you haven’t signed up for Meat & Hair emails you need to! A week-daily laugh. Clever. Sharp. Funny. Who doesn’t need more of that?
🥗 Invest in some truffle oil - make sure it’s not just aromatic. Bake sweet potato in the oven. Put in a bowl. Drizzle with truffle oil and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. Eat. You can thank me later!
🛍 I’ve signed up to lots of emails then unsubscribed. Sometimes you find a business that just adds a little extra to your life. I’m not excatly how I found OddBird but they’re one business I’ll keep following - even though I’ve never actually made a purchase (yet!). Based in the US, owner Ceren, a Turkish-native who grew up in Australia, sells beautiful ethical, handmade textiles. All her pieces are lovely - think towels, handwoven rugs, loungewear. She also promotes other artists & artisans, sends recipes (I made several of her Turkish recipes over the summer), and has a close connection with the textile factories she works with in Turkey. She ships worldwide, and each piece is esquisite.
🪲 Emilie Filou has a newsletter worth subscribing to: Buzzing. She writes about insects as a food source. Why? Because it’s the future of food. This newsletter keeps you up to date with research, products (with taste testing), and production. What’s interesting in her latest piece is the thinking of many in the industry to keep to three main insects for food production rather than diversifying. I would have thought they’d look to other food production areas and decide on diversity. Check out Buzzing! It’s worth a read.
*All the ‘other things’ I suggest here are of my own choosing - no affliate links. I don’t earn anything from the suggestions. I just like sharing books, businesses, newsletters, recipes that I like :)
As someone who has never been around snow for even the slightest second these pieces do a wonderful job at making me wish for that amazing moment for when I do. Thank you for the vivid descriptions!
Oh yes, the snow and ice of nordic winters. I remember those from living in Latvia. What stays with me are the crisp, clear and sunny days, with the park covered in snow (and minus 20 temperatures).
As for writing-on-the-go: I have a notebook, but also take notes (hastily and sloppily) on my phone. I use Evernote for that, so that I can access from my laptop as well. I also sometimes use the phone's phone-recorder app (or sometimes the voice recorder of Evernote) for quick notes. For me, there's no one system that works, because when I'm outside, it's not always the same. Dog walking, school runs, shopping, a bike ride or a run. Sometimes this works, sometimes that. So my suggestion to you would be to find a couple of ways and use what's easiest at the moment you want to take notes.