A glimpse of the sun again today, and frosty outside in the morning. I decided to take the opportunity to defrost my freezer - which wasn't all that full at the moment, but will be fuller again tomorrow, after a new delivery of groceries.
While at work, I was wondering to myself how people in warmer climates go about it. (Maybe some of my readers can enlighten me!) Myself, I always try to do it in winter, when I can put the food out on the balcony while I'm at it...
Everything back in the freezer again after lunch, and having rested a while, I celebrated by going out in the sun for a bit.
Can you see me??
Standing on the bridge, looking at my shadow!
I think I've mentioned they've been painting the stairwells in my building in January. The job seems to be finished now, as they've taken down all the signs warning us of wet paint. I'm a little bit disappointed, though, as I find the new colour scheme rather dull: just dark grey and white. I never thought of taking a "before" photo (I didn't really know what they were up to until they'd already started) but the lower part used to be... er... hmm... (How quickly one forgets?!) The lower part was a pale green I think, but with a border adding a bit of pink and yellow too. It was all brighter, anyway. The new lift/elevator doors are steely grey, too; and those used to be pink! But yes, it did need freshening up; so I shouldn't complain. Just looks so very "strict" now with all the dark grey...
Update on my friend in hospital (far away in another city): She's starting to recover enough from her surgery to be sighing a little on FB over the hospital being crowded (sharing what's really supposed to be a single room with another patient), and longing to be back home. Reminds me of how I felt myself after a different kind of surgery back in 2006. (Back then no smartphones for venting one's feelings with the outside world.) Others with hospital experience can probably relate as well: That "tipping point" between being sick enough to just be grateful to be taken care of... but as soon as one starts feeling just a little bit better, can't wait to get out of there asap...
Glad to hear the good news about your friend. I would love bright colors in that hallway, especially since it looks so enclosed and dim. Something cheefrul for sure!! Greys and browns remind me of a prison.
ReplyDeleteGinny, I do wish they had at least added a border of some brighter colour between the grey and the white! Or had kept the banisters/railings white rather than painting those in that same dark grey colour...
DeleteI agree, it does look strict. You had pink elevator doors?! How cool is that!
ReplyDeleteMaybe they want to discourage folks from loitering in the starecase by making it deliberately unattractive... or it is a sign of the new austerity that has been widely proclaimed since the start of the Ukraine war in connection with the energy crisis and increase of prices allover.
Meike, I can't help thinking that maybe they just got a good deal on that dark grey... I don't know about other entrances, but there's not usually all that much "loitering" going on in our staircase anyway (although that sort of thing can of course vary from time to time, as different people move in and out.) In general, I'd say dull colours are more likely to tempt youngsters to doodling (graffiti)!
DeleteI forgot to comment on the hospital bit. Firstly: Glad to hear your friend is better!
ReplyDeleteAs an adult, I have been in hospital for short stints twice; once it was a week after some minor surgery for a "women thing" and the other time was 4 days in 2018 for my big eye surgery. Both times I was treated very well and felt so safe in that protected environment that I was reluctant to go home, where I would be entirely on my own. But every time it worked out very well, and of course when I needed help, my Mum and my sister were always ready.
Thanks Meike. We have something of a national staffing crisis in health care here I'm afraid - not all related to the strain of the covid years, but also in general to do with wages and working conditions and routines. I've seen many "letters to the editor" of newspapers written by health care staff, pointing out that it's not really hospital "beds" that are lacking (as the news often put it), but often they have to put more patients in the same room etc because they're understaffed (so can't keep enough wards open). Which makes things stressful for staff as well as patients!
DeleteWe have been experiencing that same staff crisis in health care and child care, but luckily, it has not affected either of my two hospital stays. And when my Dad was in hospital for so long last year, he was very well looked after, too. It certainly helped that we came visiting every day and took care of some of the little jobs.
DeletePleased to hear that your friend is recovering.
ReplyDeleteCan only agree - grey is such a miserable colour - so institutional and depressing. Grey has been popular for home interiors, though I never know why, but I gather it's definitely last years fashion.
I only have two small drawers in the freezer part of my fridge, so when it's almost empty, it's not a problem to defrost. I usually put the frozen food into chiller bags,
pre-chilled with "carvers" (those small blocks you can buy and freeze) and cover with an old duvet to keep the temperature down. I put bowls of boiling water on the shelves and close the door. Usually I do this in the winter or spring, and it only takes a couple of hours. During the summer the temperatures soar and my kitchen becomes the proverbial oven, unless I run the air-con. Not that I do a great deal of cooking then.
Carol, I've noted (with astonishment) the popularity of grey in home decor for quite a while, too. I quite like neutral "background" colours myself (although not too dark), but that's because it's far easier to change a room by new curtains or colourful cushions, throws or carpets, than to repaint or put up new wallpaper ;) In the bare stairwell, I'd really have preferred some colour, though! Now I'm thinking maybe they got the grey paint cheap, if it's going out of fashion at last... ;-)
DeleteMonica, there's a colour always referred to as Battleship grey, and your stairwell looks suspiciously like it. Perhaps they did buy the paint cheap!
DeleteIt does indeed look a lot like battleship grey ;-) May serve to remind us that we're living in dire times...
Deletethat is good news she is on her phone, means she is healing and wanting to go home is also a good sign, of course sharing the room is not a good thing. your stair well looks a bit institutional in those colors but at least it is clean and new looking. our world is a sad place right now and pink elevators would be a lift for sure. ha ha get it? Lift? sorry had to do it
ReplyDeleteOf course the MadSnapper could not resist that joke! ;-) ... (Sometimes I don't know which word to use as I know I have both British and American readers...) I agree about the "institutional" feeling of the grey, and wish they had added a little bit of colour too. On the other hand, as you say, it's new and clean. The lifts have been fully serviced and refurbished too, and the downstairs entrance doors exchanged as well (and a couple of years ago, the doors of each apartment were also exchanged for safer ones).
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