Update

How was it possible I didn't post anything throughout the entire months of May and June? Let me catch up on a few things. My last post in April finished with a dramatic cliffhanger. It was about Anne, our old neighbour. She had been away for so long that we almost forgot about her. And then came the message about her departure from this world. We visited her grave some time later, a very picturesque graveyard with a view.

Both our girls were spayed at the end of April. It was a stressful time, but we got through it. The bald patches on their sides have almost disappeared.

In the meantime we bought tickets to spend some time in July at my family home. We also bought a new fridge — tiny in comparison with the trendy ones, a little black midget. We'd love to have a fridge without a freezer but it's not so easy to find a suitable one. It was necessary to buy it now, as during our holidays we'll have a pet sitter looking after the house.

Since the last post, I've finished reading ca. fifteen books, one of the best of them was Zyta Rudzka's Krótka wymiana ognia. So far only one book by Rudzka has been translated into English, Dr Josef's Little Beauty (I have it as an audiobook and plan to listen to it after our holidays).

June was taken over by builders. Several contractors are working on our little house. The heating system was modernized (we use a heat pump now), the windows and front door were replaced and they are still working on the insulation. Most of the time it's been a nightmare, they have already destroyed parts of our garden, and some eejits cut down the lavender that was growing close to the walls (I complained officially).

Anything else? ... Stay tuned ...

A windy Wednesday

For the past week or so, the days have seemed to repeat themselves: we work, we dine, we walk our cats. Around the weekend, the weather improved a little, though not by much; it was cold today. At night, when I have my socks on and can cuddle up against my husband’s warm back, I feel rich and successful.

It was a good day.

And then someone dies.

Catching up with the good stuff

This is how you supposed to listen to Virginia Woolf's audiobook — with a cat in your arms ;)

Little Mary ... you can still see that her lower lip is a bit swollen. We're not quite sure what happened, but it's been like this since last Thursday. A few more photographs from the past three weeks:

Rusalka on its premiere night at the Bord Gáis Theatre, coffee time at 3rd Place, evening walk, one of our lazy lunches (fish and chips from a local fishmonger), our girls, and coffee with my former boss (last Thursday; he's a good chap indeed). 

Kind of funny, but also not

Well ...

I'd meant to write about the reinvention of Mary's story in The Other Bennet Sister (2026), and how it's clearly influenced by Bridgerton (which I've no particular desire to watch), with its colour-blind casting and all, but thankfully there's a bit more to it so ... la di da ... instead I found myself watching Karolina Żebrowska's Why Does Everyone Have The Same Face Now?

And it struck me ... what actors look like really does matters (realised I can barely remember the other four Bennet sisters the moment they leave the scene).

Any news?

A lot! Half of it I already don't remember ;) We spent part of last week in Poland. I had my hair cut (a success) and tried to figure out how to change my diet (less so). I’ve been having some stomach issues which is a bit worrying, especially as coeliac disease runs in my Dad’s side of the family. At first, I thought soft cheese might be the culprit, so I cut down on lactose. That hasn’t been easy, as I love cheesecake, flat white, and yoghurt. Well, it had to be done, and it helped a bit, but now, when I’m paying more attention, I can see things haven’t improved as much as I’d hoped. I’ve booked a GP appointment, we'll see if they can shed some light on it.

After getting back from Poland, and sleeping through most of St Patrick's Day, we had Fred’s appointment at the oncology clinic. The news here is good: whatever the shadow in his lungs is, it's not growing, and it may be something as simple as scar tissue from dust. I’m very happy to accept that kind of diagnosis.

A few weeks ago I wanted to buy some woollen yarn in Poland, but the yarn I chose for my jumper isn’t available at the moment. Patience is a virtue, I mumble to myself.

Before my short holiday I decided to change my iPhone 13 to a Samsung S25. It was a good swap, I wasn’t interested in fixing an issue with the old phone, and I also wanted to change my internet provider (that turned out well too, Eir is much more reliable than Tesco Mobile). And ... a while ago iPhones stopped being cool anyway.

In the meantime, the Orange idiot has managed to stir things up again, this time involving Iran. Petrol prices are soaring, because apparently we can’t have just one problem at a time.

Below, some random photos from the time I wasn’t posting: the last day of February, first hours in Poland and Warsaw block of flats in the middle of the night, Mruczysław the Cat, empty grave in a forgotten evangelical cemetery, Jelenia Góra, and blooming Rip van Winkles.

Arts & threads

Yesterday we ticked off our latest opera experience, The Cunning Little Vixen by Leoš Janáček. Wasn't quite sure what to expect; I didn't know the venue, Solstice Arts Centre in An Uaimh, nor the composer. It was thoroughly enjoyable, partly philosophical, partly hilarious, as it's not every day one can see opera singers performing in fox costumes.

I was wearing a new beanie that I'd finished knitting last weekend. In my head it's supposed to be a hat with cat ears, but because of the colour and depending on the way I style it, the ears can resemble fox ears or even devil horns ;) Love it.

I chose this yarn colour to match my husband's beautiful present, woollen fingerless mittens I got in December. Unfortunately, over two weeks ago, on a lovely Friday afternoon, I lost one of the gloves matching the beanie, and now I still wear the one that's left, refusing to accept my loss. It was the same day when we went with my Fred to watch Hamnet (the film is absolutely fantastic!). 

Discussions, books, knitting, and films – that's how I spend my time outside of work. Also, I've discovered something completely new, which I hope to enjoy very much:

In the background, Clanbrassil street on Valentine's day:) The book's still waiting in a queue.

[early morning]

My urge to write in English seems to have faded for a while. Very strange, as I use it a good deal when I'm out and about. My Brain appears to have switched back to my mother tongue; most of my inner dialogue is now in that language. Perhaps it has something to do with the tension I feel around work. Again, not that it's especially difficult, but other people’s troubles weigh on me more than they should, to the point of insomnia. It's difficult to keep toxicity at bay. 

4:55 a.m. Time to go to sleep again.

Bronek died on Thursday.

Well :I

Eastern vs. western knitting 1

Well, well, I started knitting, unravelled it, knitted again, unravelled it again, and somewhere along the way I became more interested in different knitting styles. I realised that my Mum taught me to knit in the eastern style (in Polish it’s apparently called heretic). I’m also pretty sure that in the past I mixed different styles without really knowing it. This is something I want to study :) For today (or tomorrow, 'cause today my Brain is already shutting down): JackiBean explaining Eastern vs. Western Knitting.

After reading what's going on in Minneapolis

I can't help but feel that ICE officers aren't mentally very different from Russian soldiers killing Ukrainians; similarly, the Orange Man's supporters and Putin supporters ... I wouldn’t know where to look for differences when comparing only their states of mind and sense of entitlement. A miscarriage of justice seems almost identical to what happens in Russia. I'm sure there are many decent folk there who try to do better than the government, but still ... what a disillusionment with a country of so-called prosperity.

Cats, humans, bullies

Bronek, my parents' cat, is still among the living. He gets a lot of medication, and I suppose he is not entirely aware that his life hangs by a hair. One of his sisters, Frania, has also tested positive :I Our girls, on the other hand, are in the best of health, length and width. We and our neighbours adore them. 

Have already finished reading five books this year, including The Gathering by Anne Enright. An enjoyable read, though it covers some really tough subjects. Currently, I'm in the middle of Ditlevsen's The Copenhagen Trilogy (have finished Youth). 

Can't believe it's already the second half of January; I go to work, spend time with my husband, deal with first-world problems, while occasionally hearing about what's happening on the "western front". The Orange Man's actions in his own country and abroad are heinous, but hey, who knows, they might bring some good for Europe. Just as Ukrainians have started using their own language after the Russian bear attacked them, so I've started looking for European products to support our own economy instead of feeding the bullies with my own money. It's my private politics, not very strict, just something I ponder about while shopping.