Weekend Friday Favourites

I hope you’re having a great weekend! 

Monday’s 2nd Easter or Pentecost here in Catalunya, a regional festivo making this weekend a puente! For me however it’ll be a normal day hopefully making the gym early. I’m still not used to the day of the holiday being on that day. Bad luck if it’s a weekend. I’m still the UK makes that day a Monday.

Anyways, Weekend Friday Favourites, things that have caught my eye or made me smile this week.

Reverse Sunsets And Longer Days. Again. I love the pop of red!

They’ll be featuring in a lot of WFF over the next few months. The longer days make me happy. The downside, I want to be outdoors all day and nothing would get done!

21.04 and still light. 

Haglofs Medium Tight Backpack

My non gym rucksacks needed replacing as one was beginning to hurt my shoulders (no not from what I carry around. Okay, maybe) and back from how the back padding designed. Things used to stick in my back cycling and walking. The other the zip bust which I’ve still to fix. Both had done really great, but I decided it was time to look for a better design. I didn’t want to spend much, but after looking in Decathlon and finding they were too wide, the way the straps and carry handle were designed weren’t comfortable I knew I had to look else where. Every other were so expensive! Even the skate ones without chest clips. Plus most were in weird colours. In the end I had to bite the bullet and get an expensive hiking rucksack that can do city. I realised I use my non gym rucksack a lot more than my gym one and walk and cycle with it more, so I needed one that offered more support and stylish. Cue Haglofs!

The medium’s 20l, super comfortable, the straps don’t irritate, the back support’s great. No achy back or shoulders thanks to it’s tear drop design distributing weight. I was fine with a humgouis jar 1.7l coconut oil in it in addition to my water, camera, make up bag, purse/wallet, spare charges etc. There’s even an ice axe loop if I ever need one. It’s not bulky, so far I haven’t been knocked queues. I choose black partly to be a little more chic if you can with a hiking backpack shopping and limited colour selection and I love it. My previous one at times I felt a little scruffy in with. I also like Haglofs ethics. Later researching wanting to know if it’s a Scandinavian brand (it is, Swedish) I found out they’re big on sustainability making their products as sustainable as possible to minimise the production impact on people and the planet. They choose materials that last a long life span, have no harmful chemical content during manufacturing or during it’s lifespan (I didn’t know about fluorocarbons. Used to make products waterproofs, they can still contaminate when they get wet) design products that don’t need to be replaced often the continue to be stylish, useful, featuring just the essentials, limit micro plastics in production etc. Which is perfect for me! The only con is suncream. It gets everywhere on it and can be tricky to remove unless it’s machine washed. They recommend hand washing and to reactivate the waterproofness with a spray on waterproofing and don’t say where to get such a spray. 

Some Zoo Pics

I went this week. What’s new! 

Ugly ducklings aren’t just for swans

Siblings I felt a little bad. I woke this guy up with my camera shutter closing. 

Alanna The First Adventure, Song of The Lioness Series, Tamora Pierce

I first read the Song of the Lioness series when I was in High School. I remembering coming across it in the school library where I used to spend quite a few lunchtimes, being captivated by Alanna. The girl who disguised herself as her twin brother to become a knight so as not to become a lady while her brother followed his path of sorcery to avoid being a knight. I remembering asking the school librarian if she could get rest of the series in. When she could, she did with me maybe asking every week, has it arrived?! I couldn’t wait to get lost in Alanna’s world. It’s perhaps the book series that’s had the most impact on me or stood out growing up, Song of the Lioness. I recently purchased the complete series and am as captivated as I was at 13/14 reading Alanna’s adventures from arriving at the Palace age 10 to becoming the Kings Champion in her 20’s through the world of magic, sword fights, adventure, female empowerment, girls can do anything. It’s aimed at teen readers, but hey, some books you can read time and time again and never tire of being lost in it’s pages. 

Tone It Up Bent Leg Deadlift Hops

Image courtesy toneitup.com

I added this move to my workout this week and my hamstrings and bum were definitely feeling them. Perform a deadlift, lower weights to floor jump/hop back to a squat, immediately jump/hop forward again landing in a squat to repeat the sequence. They look simple, but aren’t! I can handle way more than 10kg deadlifting however after 8 reps I was grateful I kept the weight at 2 x 5kg dumbbells! These you can really feel burning!

Internet Finds

That’s One Smart Bird. Nat Geo Wild. He’s (a kea bird) way cleverer than me!

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=nat+geo+kea+bird

Washing hands in cold water ‘as good as hot’. BBC News

Why Nicaragua and Syria didn’t join the Paris Climate accord. Washington Post. 100% understand Nicaragua’s reasons not to sign the accord. Larger countries responsible for the industrial revolution that kick started the recent climate change should pay more. Cough UK.

Instagram account Everyday Africa, tries to change perceptions. BBC News.

Jordan’s 24 hour literary labyrinth saved from closure. CNN

Alex Honnold climbs Yosmite’s El Captian without a rope. Nat Geo

Britain’s secret weapon agains the Nazis? Refugees. Nat Geo. If more people knew, Brexit might never have happened.

Ancient slingshot was deadly as a .44 Magnum. Nat Geo

Tziporah Salamon: New York’s most stylish sexagenarian. CNN

Gobi the dog ‘adopted’ a runner. BBC News. I think I’ve featured this before, but it’s too sweet and happy ending tail not to again!

What’s been making you smile recently? Have a great week!