It's Still Life

1. I am thankful for the old, often forgotten, twittens in West Sussex, which is an old Sussex (ie., archaic) word for single-track lanes between open spaces, like a forest or a fields. I can walk along this track and not encounter another vehicle or person all day (unless my husband is with me, which he often isn’t).

And I am also completely overwhelmed with thanks by autumn colours that still hang on, although sadly not for much longer. There are more leaves on the ground than on the birch trees now. “Winter is coming.” 

3. Thank goodness that I survived week 44, a very unlucky number in China, Japan, Korea, and most of east Asia. In Mandarin (Chinese), the number 4 is pronounced “sì” (四), which sounds similar to the word for “death” (sǐ, 死). When the number is repeated, as in 44, it’s interpreted as ‘double death.’ … as if once isn’t sufficient to do the job. This “44” image is created using Midjourney (AI), so the Hanzi characters are (assumably) meaningless.

4. Homemade carrot and fresh ginger soup with croutons made from stale sourdough bread that cleared up the beginning of another cough, although I think the chestiness might’ve been a reaction to the Covid jab.

6. Woolley “nordic” socks so my feet stay warm and don’t clash with the colours of the rug.

7. Frosty mornings and bright sunshine that cause the wooden fence to steam.

I would’ve put a video of the steam roiling off the fence, but WordPress wants me to upgrade my blog, and Nooooooo, I think not.

9. Oeuf mayonnaise with chives, and French sardines in green peppercorn olive oil on homemade Danish rye bread for lunch. 

Oeuf mayonnaise is just jammy-set eggs with homemade mayo that slides over each half like a piece of silk.