Animal Kingdom, Animals, Lifestyle, Nature

Winter City Parakeets

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Winter City Parakeets

No one knows the origin of Barcelona’s parakeet population. Some say they were stowaways on boats arriving in Barcelona Port in the 1970’s, others say they’re descended from Barcelona Zoo or house pet escapees, or house pets released when the owners couldn’t deal with them anymore pre 2013 when it was legal to trade Monk and Collared parakeets, just 2 of the 4 types of ‘Spanish’ parakeets.

Some like me love watching a streak of green as they fly by, listening into their cheeky chatter, watching how they use roads as their own flight paths. Other people regard them as pests that have now travelled further outside the city ruining crops. Some say their nests are dangerous due to how much they weigh if they fell on someone. Barcelona isn’t the only city in Spain with parakeets. Madrid and Valencia are just a few Spanish cites with their own populations. 

To be honest, they’re pretty kinda cool birds, happy to share with the pigeons, sparrow, starlings and blackbirds for snacks. The other day I think Parc de la Ciutadella had been closed for most of the day. Only one entrance gate open with a temporally closed sign everybody was ignoring. I had bread for the ducks, my new thing with the covid restrictions so I get my bike ride to a green place which I’m aiming to still do now restrictions are slowing being eased. I wasn’t going to go seeing all the people, but thought the ducks and geese would be extra hungry without their usual snack feeders, which I‘m not one as you can tell the ones that are. A few parakeets lined the pond railing waiting for bread pieces so nobody got fed much that day. Even the seagulls were out hungry. Knowing they wouldn’t stand a chance with pigeons that also wanted in, I placed a few pieces on the railing. Some almost took a piece out my hand, others a little more shy waiting until I wasn’t looking. While I like feeding the ducks and geese, parakeets accepting my bread made me feel extra special! Now the zoo’s back open I’ve been seeing them more relaxed than in the park. Less people around, more trees to nest in. Seeing them too as I cycle flying along streets and ramblas with twigs twice as long as them up into the trees for their nests. That flash of green and cheeky squark lights up my day 🙂

Snacks!

Lifestyle, Nature, Photography, Travel

September 2020 Corn Moon

by natjtanLeave a Comment on September 2020 Corn Moon

September’s always bitter sweet. Sweet as it’s warm, the water’s warm. Bitter as it’s the last summer month, days are getting shorter, beach trips are lucky if you can make them as carefree summer days are whispering see you later.

September’s full moon is the Corn Moon although it depends when the autumn Equinox is. If September’s full moon falls around the autumn Equinox it’s a Harvest Moon. If September’s full moon is in early September it’s the Corn Moon with October’s moon being the Harvest Moon. Last October’s was moon cycle was extra magical with 2 full moons in one month! September’s other moon names include Autumn Moon, Falling Leaves Moon, Leaves Turning Moon. 

Few days old Full Corn Moon
Moonrise moon
04.30 can’t sleep moon
Dawn Moon rise

Dawn moon rises are always magical. Only around for a short time before they vanish as the sunrises. Sometimes I get to see the moon set in the mornings if I’m up and out as it follows the night light pattern as the sun does in the day.

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Beauty and Skin Care, Lifestyle

Beauty Finds: Colourpop Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Tinted Moisturizer

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Beauty Finds: Colourpop Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Tinted Moisturizer

Welcome back to another Beauty Finds with a difference! Rather than review several products at once, from now on single product reviews starting with Colourpop Hyaluronic Tinted Moisturizer.

I have a few requirements when it comes to cosmetics and skin care: cruelty free, natural, clean, vegan better. I do my best to avoid the nasty ingredients such as SLSs, parabens, PEGs, silicones, etc. Petrochemicals are the sneakiest with so many derivatives and aliases. I also avoid palm oil and it’s derivatives as I prefer orangutans. Coconut oil marketed as the good oil I’m also cutting down on as it can be just a damaging crop as palm oil. If I do get products with these ingredients in I try to get organic or sustainably sourced. With make up it’s a little harder so I go for cruelty free brands. I prefer products with less plastic and thankfully more brands are aware consumers don’t want unnecessary plastic (or governments are telling them less plastic). My skin type’s oily sensitive, acne prone and now wrinkles. I know nothing stops those lines, but if I can delay them then….

Colourpop Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Tinted Moisturizer I picked up on holiday at Ulta in the USA. I knew about the brand but never looked into thinking I couldn’t get it in Spain. While there are silicones listed I like the ingredient list as compared to other BBC creams, tinted moisturisers, foundations the list is kinda minimal. 

Pretty Fresh hyaluronic tinted moisturizer. A hydrating tinted moisturizer with skin-perfecting, lightweight coverage for fresh healthy looking skin.

I prefer BBC creams as they give a nice glow, provide coverage without looked caked and are light weight. Most Korean BB creams are too pale for me and western BB creams are more like tinted moisturisers which do nothing for me. Provide hardly any coverage. Colourpop’s is more like a BB cream, it covers amazingly, doesn’t settle in fine lines or wrinkles and does’t clog my skin too much. It never looks caked on yet provides lightweight medium coverage. It stays on on hot humid days and is almost waterproof after dip in the sea. With a face mask depending on how long you wear it for it doesn’t rub off too much.  It’s easy to apply with a beauty sponge (I use Tarte Babassu foundcealer multi tasking sponge from Sephora Espana). Bonus it gives you a glow while looking natural no makeup. Perfect!!!

I was concerned about the hyaluronic acid source as I’d read that it’s obtained via animals. I contacted Colourpop customer service who kindly said they’d check and get back to me. Good news, they hyaluronic acid isn’t obtained from any animal source! The coconut water I overlooked. I’m not perfect throwing out all of what I said about what I look for in products. Bad Nat.

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Animal Kingdom, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Nature, Photography, Travel

Winter Ducks and Geese

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Winter Ducks and Geese

Due to recent covid-19 restrictions in Cataluna, aka gyms closed, to get my bike ride that would have been to the gym I cycled to Parc Ciutadella to see the ducks.

Cataluna for most of January closed gyms, shopping malls, restricted bar and restaurant hours amongst other covid-19 measures. As infection levels are dropping in Cataluna they’re easing restrictions this week (although I’m sure this has something to do with Catalan elections next week). I’m just happy gyms have reopened. I don’t always have the same motivation to workout at home as I do going to a gym. I’m happy too I can indoor climb again! Sometimes it was dark, other times I made it out in daylight hours to the park. Most of the time the ducks and geese were around for snacks. I was happy the park was open and I’ll for sure continue to drop by to say hi to the ducks and feed them now gyms are open!

I started around the end of December taking bread to feed them and the geese. A few geese were so polite, making sure they got front row seats with gentle sweet tiny honks asking for more. Any ducks that got close they just did a neck sweep. The ducks make a ton noise swimming across the pond as if to tell everyone there’s bread. When they get close a few chase away others but I’ve noticed the younger females are a little timid (can tell by size) and swim away if it’s too busy. I make sure to throw bread in their direction. When the seagulls are around it get crazy. Seagulls have amazing vertical aerial take off skills, are up in the air as soon as you raise your hand. They seem to know exactly where the bread is going to land, loads diving down at the same time. Both the geese and ducks close their eyes and duck out of the way as if to avoid getting stabbed in the eye. As the seagulls are so quick you can kinda fool them for a moment to give the ducks and geese an opportunity for bread by raising your hand as if to throw in one direction which the seagulls follow and then throwing it in the other direction. This only works a few times as the seagulls learn quick. 

I swear the few times I visited the ducks without food, they bitched at each other she has nothing. Both the ducks and geese turned towards each other, swam away quacking as if to say, nothing this time, puh!

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Lifestyle, Nature, Recycle Less

Recycle Less: The Elastic Band Hack

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Recycle Less: The Elastic Band Hack

The elastic band hack for twisty lids on jars you can’t open! 

Sometimes twisty lids are so tight on jars they won’t open with cloth or a towel over the lid for grip. I’ve no idea how this idea came to me. Maybe from ads years ago for silicone discs placed over lids for extra grip to open. Place a 5mm wide elastic band over the outside of the lid, twist, viola 9/10 the lid opens. 

Lids for beans, chickpeas etc I give the lid a tap/bang on the side of the counter. Lids like peanut butter, kombucha bottles that have more groove twists (is that the right terminology for those lids?!) an elastic band works better. It also works on under the sink plumping when you have to clean out all the gunk, shudder. The trap deposit thing can be on there tight.

Elastic bands can be free too. Save the ones that come on vegetable bundles. While I don’t eat asparagus anymore after reading how much of a water intensive crop it is, diverting water from the locals who need it (I chose avocados instead. I know just as bad for water. I decided I could only have one of the two. I don’t miss asparagus), most of the wider elastic bands I have stashed are from asparagus. I understand how elastic bands for farms to bundle lettuces, kale, more leafy vegetables together quickly and easily for sale, but I’d wish they’d find a more eco alternative. I have heaps of thin elastic bands from those kale bundles I don’t know what to do with. When you see how elastic bands are made, you think twice before throwing them out. You can’t put them in the recycling and while it’s made from a sustainable source, rubber, the plantations or new plantations contribute to tropical deforestation as it’s a quick cash crop due to the demand for rubber for tyres. For something so small and throwaway it has a huge environmental cost. Birds can mistake them for worms feeding them to their young, animals can choke on them, the bands can get wrapped around beaks, mouths, legs, paws and end up in the sea where they’re mistaken for food again.

Do you throw out elastic bands, reuse, repurpose them or just keep them in that kitchen drawer like me?