It's Still Life

1. I am thankful that I wasn’t blown off London Bridge while trying to make my way to the university’s library, and then the British Library.

And I’m thankful that the tourists trying to take selfies in the midst of an intense storm weren’t floating down the Thames.

My Met Office weather app said “sustained gusts of 60mph.”

2. Happy Imbolc to those who celebrate it. 1-2 February is Saint Brigid’s Day (Gaelic: Là Fhèill Brìghde), a Gaelic traditional festival. Light candles to greet the sun!

This is St Brigid’s cross that’s made from reeds or wild grasses.

It marks the turn of winter toward spring with 10-hours of daylight, and for Christians, it is the feast day of Saint Brigid, Ireland’s patroness saint.

3. Brigid has arrived in my garden. The white and pink hellebores are blooming. The snowdrops are blooming. The first crocus opened in the thin winter sun.

4. My dissertation is finished. Not an easy one; it was a slog for sure. Now I’ll set it aside, and re-read the final draft in a few weeks to see if it all flows together nicely. Word count:: 33,008

5. My Ninja Bullet, so I can drink breakfast when I’m in a hurry.

I also add a heaping tablespoon of uncooked oatmeal, which gets blitzed into the yogurt and milk and a banana … because I can’t stomach cooked oatmeal.

6. Beta-testing ChatGPT-03-mini. Absolutely fascinating to watch it piece together step-through-logic and “thought” processes in the background.

7. A return to my local forest even though it’s still darned wintery cold.

8. Road trips and writing a Six (or two)

9. Chicken, leek and asparagus pie straight from the oven to my plate. I am thankful for a husband who’s a damned good cook.