Zoomed in from one of my windows this morning around 10 am (with my Sony camera, not the phone). What the birds may have found to eat in the snow and slush, I don't know.
An old orchid plant in my bedroom has decided to sprout a bloom or two as a bit of an antidote to winter depression.
It's been a day of various weather warnings again. Wet snow has kept falling from the sky all day, and ending up as a messy, grey, icy slush on the ground. I've not set foot outside.
The whole week has been one of those winter weeks when it's kind of hard to tell one day from another. Yesterday I had to set an alarm to get up at 7, though, as an inspection of our ventilation system was going to be carried out "between 7:30 and 14:00". (7 may not sound early to some of my readers, but to me it is nowadays - at least in winter. Even the sun still does not rise until 8:30 - even on the days when it bothers to show its face at all.)
I can usually count on "rounds" not to start with me though, as I live in the middle of a building with three entrances... So getting up at 7 I had time enough to both get dressed and have breakfast and make my bed etc before they rang on my door.
It turned out an air intake filter in my study needs changing. The guy said I'm getting no air at all in here now. I think the fact that I've not noticed kind of disproves that, though... ;) (The thing is, I hardly ever have any reason to close the door to this room; and there is a functioning air intake in the living room, just across the threshold.) But the very nice young man carrying a big test instrument from room to room said that he'll put it on his report to the landlord's office, and if I don't hear from them within a month, I should call and remind them. (It's they who are supposed to fix it, not me.)
That I had been up early resulted in me falling asleep for a while in the afternoon instead - which I don't think has anything to do with the air supply not quite being up to scratch, but just proves that there's not much point for me in forcing myself to rise early if there's no special reason... (So back to my usual morning habits today.)
I dislike vague timings, but I suppose it's difficult to be more precise with such things as inspections. I fell asleep this afternoon, too, but not because I got up particularly early!
ReplyDeleteJanice, it does occasionally happen to me too, even when not having been up early...
DeleteDespite the weather, the orchids do look very elegantly
ReplyDeleteRo, for some reason that I cannot fathom out, Blogger classifies about 90% of your comments as spam - no matter how many times I've retrieved them from there by now. (I get the emails though and usually remember to collect them.)
Deleteeach morning I walk Beau at 7 am and we have been up for 3 hours. in the dark. if I were alone I would stay up later and get up like you do but after 40 years of early bird, I might not be able to. hope they bring the filter. sounds like they are do a good job of running your place
ReplyDeleteSandra, I know our sleeping habits are very different - and not doubt both the climate where we live and being a dog owner or not comes into it... :)
DeleteOh, that orchid! How gorgeous it is!! Hang in there, Spring will come again!
ReplyDeleteI know it will, Kay! :)
DeleteI totally agree! I hate getting up early and will only do it if I have to. I am a confirmed night owl, too.
ReplyDeleteGinny, these days I'm definitely more of a night owl than an early bird, too...
DeleteI'm sure just the sight of that orchid brightens your wintery days. It's beautiful. I've never been a morning person. My first thought upon waking is often to wonder how long some people have been working while I enjoy my bed. I send all the workers silent messages telling them to hang in there, retirement awaits.
ReplyDeletePauline, back in my working days I had to get up early (and go to bed early), but I can't say it ever came "naturally" to me...
DeleteNot sure why a venting system is necessary in a flat that has windows that can be opened... but it is probably there for a good reason :-)
ReplyDeleteMy orchids have been dormant for months, after they had blossomed beautifully for quite a while last year.
In conditions like you describe, you did the sensible thing staying home!
Meike, I'd say that the fact that a filter gets clogged suggests that it "did its job" - as in keeping the indoors air cleaner... In my previous flat, there were trickle vents in the window frames. Those still let in quite a lot of dust as well - as could be seen from the curtains, which needed to be washed a lot more often when I lived there, than they do now. I think the vent system they have here also has to do with saving energy. While I've been living here (16 years) they have exchanged the windows from double to triple glazed, entrance doors, apartment doors, and also the roofs (no doubt including insulation).
DeleteThat orchid is beautiful and such a happy reminder of warmer weather.
ReplyDeleteAfter a couple of weeks with days of low temperatures, rain, grey skies and cold winds, today is glorious - warm and sunny. A perfect Spring day in January! I walked the dog along the promenade of one of our four beaches and stopped for coffee, watching the world go by. You could tell the "locals" - all wearing unecessary heavy winter clothes, while the tourists wore shorts and T shirts! I have come home and gone round opening all the windows to let the warm air in!
Venting systems are installed in many apartment blocks here - usually in bathrooms, where there is no window, just the vent into a central air shaft.
Carol - see my reply to Meike about the venting system. The bathroom and kitchen also have extractor fans.
DeleteI hate the 7 am alarm, and make lots of excuses to snooze. Of course that means skipping something in getting ready to go out on a 9:30 meeting with a friend, and yesterday I forgot my meds. So I took all of them last night (except the duplicates.) Oh did I ever have one of those tossing and turning nights. Which is exactly why I take most of them in the morning (lots of vitamins too)
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I too have some meds that I take in the morning, usually in connection with breakfast. Sometimes if I wake up early I just take the meds and then go back to bed to doze a bit longer, though... ;-) If I have a morning appointment of some kind, I definitely need to set an alarm to be sure I get up in time.
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