We set today aside for packing. A quick weather check for tomorrow’s trip and it’s a high of -12ºC and a low of -24ºC. I suspect we’ve ended up over-packing as a result. We’ve not been able to break the habit of carrying stuff around to deal with unexpected scenarios.
What if our youngest gets hungry and we can’t find somewhere to eat. Mum will feed him. But what if mum is feeling unwell? Dad will make him a bottle. But what if we can’t boil some water in time? We’ll bring some ready made milk as well. And like that, we are carrying way more than we’ll ever need.
Really nice to see this river flowing again. It’s dry in summer and frozen in winter.
The weather has started to warm up a little and it is nice to see this small river start flowing again. It’s always dry in summer and frozen in winter. In a city that is so dry, any water feels like a blessing.
I’ve written about how malls have changed since Covid. But, walking past this shop this afternoon brought it home. If I’d had the camera with me when we were here in the summer I could have taken this photo then. Everything, including the discarded tools, is as it was. The fun and the joy have gone, at least for now.
I’ve written (Day 1 - We stayed local) about how malls have changed since Covid. But, walking past this shop this afternoon brought it home. If I’d had the camera with me when we were here in the summer I could have taken this photo then. Everything, including the discarded tools, is as it was. The fun and the joy have gone, at least for now.
FunJoy store that is no long fun or joyful.
I’m almost done on writing up how we handle piano practice while we are away from home. I’ll try and publish that post shortly. One of the options is practising in the local mall. This piano store was more than happy to let my son practise and they even unlocked the grand piano they keep on display and allowed him to play. I realised I need to do a better job of ensuring we carry around a broader selection of music for him to play.
We found a place to practise piano.
With piano practice done, it was time for food. Noodles, spice and 酸梅汤 (a sour plumb drink). Eating late meant we had the place to ourselves. You have to be careful though, many restaurants close the kitchens for a couple of hours between lunch and dinner.
Noodles for lunch.
As we walked home, we were reminded that the year of the Rabbit is almost over. In some places the lanterns are already up for the new year celebrations.
The year of the Rabbit is almost over.