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.

No resolutions

Several days ago I thought it would be a nice thing to write down some New Year's resolutions, but in the end I decided against it. Part of it would feel more like self-presentation than a real plan, so why bother? I don't want to impress anyone here, I just want to distract my mind, train it to use a different language, and look at things from a different perspective. 

I spent ten days in my family home, and had a great time. A great time of doing nothing in particular, which is very important for my mental health, as I'm a slow pacer by nature.

Below are a few of the dozens of pictures I took while staying with my parents: a visit to my favourite local coffee shop, my Christmas wafer with pieces from my parents' wafers, dinner at a Chinese restaurant, Wojtuś the cat showing off his big belly, and a forest road I know so well.

3-11 October

I came back home on Saturday evening, and I still don’t feel like I’ve settled down. In the meantime, two lovely artists passed away – Patricia Routledge on the day I flew to Poland, and Diane Keaton on the day I was coming back.

Below, random pictures without captions ;)

Peaks and politics

The past week and a half has been rather busy and full of all sorts of emotions. Fred and I paid a visit to my parents, who live down in Lower Silesia. We also stopped in to see Fred’s aunt and her husband in the Opole Voivodeship, and caught up with a good friend of ours who's only recently moved to Waldenburg (we spent some valuable time with her and her three rats).

In the middle of it all, we had hoped to get a bit of hiking in -- and we did! Last Tuesday, we managed to wander through the highest peak of the Table Mountains, Szczeliniec Wielki. It’s a marvellous spot, and we were lucky to catch a few hours of fairly decent weather.

The next day, we took a stroll through Waldenburg’s King John III Sobieski Park, and of course we climbed the observation tower, which is known for its panoramic views of the town. After saying goodbye to our Waldenburg friends, on the way back to my family home, we visited The Holy Trinity Church of Peace in Świdnica, the biggest wooden Baroque church in Europe.

By Saturday, we were heading back home to Dublin, keen to cast our votes in the presidential election (the flight itself was a bit rough).

Then Monday came, and brought bad news with it: the nationalists had won. It’s disheartening how many controversial politicians win on the back of aggressive, conservative rhetoric alone. Nawrocki, the new Polish president, seems cut from the same cloth as the Orange Man over in the States – a shady character, voted in mostly because religious talk still holds sway over people living in fear. Have nothing to be ashamed of anyway, I didn't vote for him, but still ...

Below, the first morning in my family home and my late grandma's flat window seen from the garden; a cat idling outside our favourite coffee shop; one of my parents' cats, blind Niunia; walks with my Mum and husband; me hiking through Szczeliniec; one of the Waldenburg's mosaics; the Waldenburg boys; friend's recommendation; the Holy Trinity Church of Peace in Świdnica; my pork pie, my folks.

In the middle

It's the second full day at my parents' house now, we've had two (and a half) days of lovely sunshine and warmth. The flight on the 2nd was quite smooth, though we had a bit of a bumpy landing. Surprisingly, once on the ground, there was almost no wind. 

All the pets are healthy, though little stinky Max is even stinkier than before. My parents aren't sure how old he is; he started living with them only five years ago, and he could have been around 5 at the time. For sure, he's definitely getting on in years, especially for a mix of Shih Tzu from a puppy farm. On the other hand, Gosia, Little Raspberry's sister, is living her dream. As her aggression has subsided with age, though deaf and partially blind, she's now happier than ever before, enjoying the sunshine in the open space instead of in a kennel.

As I love walking and there aren't many places to walk here (the lumberjacks are working in the forest, it's not too safe there at the moment), yesterday I took a leisurely stroll to the local cemetery and back with Dad. We lit candles on both graves – my grandparents' and my granddad's aunt; then we drove to another cemetery, the one in Hochkirch, where my dad's parents are buried. 

Today we went for a walk around the town. Still very warm, my olive coat is too much for this weather.

Of course, we had coffees at El Gato twice, again only Dad and I; Mum wasn't part of our adventures, as she's still working full-time and usually wraps up at 3 p.m. Quite unusual for someone her age (71), but I feel it keeps her going. She once told me she doesn't want to be considered a senior citizen.

I've been avoiding political subjects, no news, no talk shows. The first day Mum suggested I should take all my old diplomas with me, as people are talking about the war coming from Ukraine. It’s certainly not impossible (those pampered in the West rarely have any idea what's going on in the East, it's just the way it is; they live in alternate reality and vote for tv personalities instead of politicians), but I won't let it spoil my inner peace.  

Below, a short video made at the back garden.

Family home

From Monday afternoon to Friday morning with my parents in a family home surrounded by the forests of Lower Silesia. I had the whole bed to myself (though the cats might argue otherwise, especially Wojtuś), took a peek at old series, like Kojak (episodes from the best year 1975), visited cemetry twice and bonded with Rozalka, who loved me more every day.

During my stay discovered that I was invited for the second interview (actually, the invitation was sent on Friday, but I hadn't checked that email account until last Wednesday, hope it won’t affect the whole process), and an hour later Fred got feedback about his CT scan: clear, no changes. Great news! The same day I took my parents for lunch in an Italian restaurant. I had better culinary experience, but Ma & Pa were happy.

On Thursday we went to Magnolia Park, the largest shopping centre in Lower Silesia; first we had lunch in Lepione, than a solid cup of coffee & a crusty croissant with carmel dip in Karmello Chocolatier. Pure satisfaction. The only thing that got me concerned was how quick Mum wore out, we hadn't even walked that much. 

Overall, I had a great time, and felt the stay was much too short. That said, I wouldn't want to live there for good. More than ever I need my own space, my own pace, my own ways of doing things.

Below: Wrocław Główny railway station, always the best first coffee in my grandma's glass cup, Gosia (Little Raspberry's sister), a good girl greeting me cheerfully, Rozalka, Wojtuś sitting with Maksio (the dog) and Rózia in the backgroud (minding her own business), coffee and croissants in Karmello with Mum & Dad.