natjtan Happy New Year!
Welcome to the first Weekend Friday Favourites of 2020! I hope you’re having a great weekend! I’m only just feeling I’m getting back into some sort of out of whack routine. Monday 6th was an holiday so people are still in the holidays mode. Wednesday was the first climbing class of the year and I really thought it was Monday! My routine’s always always all over the place but I’m hoping some sort of balance comes to the chaos.
In the meantime this week’s, Weekend Friday Favourites! Things that have made me smile or caught my eye. Always my favourite post to write!
Switching Off My Phone
Or hiding it as the screen’s cracked (not my fault. Somebody knocked it out my hand sending it flying down the pavement). If I turn it back on, each time it goes a little loco. It’s so liberating. I grew up before mobiles. I got my first one around 17/18. All it did was receive messages and make calls. No games. The screen was like a calculator bar! Yes, I’m old. So I know what it’s like to not have a phone. I’ll admit my phone is addictive. I felt and feel guilty I was on it in the evenings when I should have been spending more attention on the cats. I’m sure they started to walk away if I was on it too much as they knew. Or they’d look at me like really? The phone wasn’t like that when I was a kitten! You watched TV more! And you had 2 hands to tickle my ears! I also noticed if I started messaging in the mornings or got caught up on it, time just goes and I get nothing done. Start something, 2 minutes later on phone just checking this out or asking Google something. Switching it off that temptation wasn’t there. I get shit done. I’m not at the beck and call of the internet. I have to make sure however I stay away from my iPad if my phone’s switched off. 1 step into lessening the phone’s hold.
I discovered Nikki Strange back in November when I was looking for a pouch for a purse. I didn’t get a pouch for my purse. Instead I needed up getting prints, diaries and a pouch for all my diaries. I fell in love with her mystical, cosmic, day dreamy designs. I couldn’t believe how quickly she got back to me, when I emailed asking when then sold out pouch I liked would be back in stock. She emailed back the same day (on a Sunday!) saying she had 1 left and would I like it. Yes! She then mentioned that her Black Friday discount was starting later that day. Great move on her part, bad on mine for the bank🙈. The Nocturnal Jungle print (the panthers) shouted D! Now I see a combo of AJ and D. D’s colouring, Aj’s belly! The Spirit Animal wisdom cards can be spookily right as well as being beautiful to look at! All notebooks are handmade, all prints come in biodegradable film, most inks are vegetable, she use recycled paper, no plastic’s involved in shipping and all bags pouches are handmade using upcycling fabric linings. Everything’s reasonably priced too from gift cards, to notebooks to lunar cycle diaries. Even the packing paper is designed by her and is too beautiful to recycle! I have my eye on a few new items. Next month Nat! She also has an Etsy shop with more items that her main site and has worked with Topshop, Birchbox, Selfridges, Asos and M&S to name a few.
I ordered the diary and knew I was getting a free lunar cycle print. The notebook was a surprise!
Uniqlo HeatTech Tops aka Thermals!
Diamonds might be a girls best friend but her true best friend in winter are thermal heattech tops. As it’s getting colder here, for the past 5 weeks and well into March these are my staple under jumpers. Mine are actually on their 3rd winter they’re that good! They smooth out under jumpers, aren’t bulky, keep me snug and I hardly notice I’m wearing them.
My Christmas day movie. Out of the 3 Disney Skywalker movies this has to be my favourite one. I’m no way a Star Wars buff as I skipped the middle 3 movies but I didn’t want this trilogy to end. I want more Rey Skywalker adventures! I’m hoping Netflix will one day pick up Disney’s Mandalorian
Different Indoor Climbing Teacher
My class’s usual teacher had December off. One of the route setters took the class and we got our butts whipped! I’m not saying teacher isn’t a good teacher. He’s a great teacher. Very calm, explains all the tricks. The setter had us not using foot holds, just our feet on the wall and campus exercises that had me sore for a few days afterwards. Then we got not lazy, more took our time and choose our own routes over the holidays. First class back this week, we again got our butts whipped with endurance climbs. One easy route followed by a higher level. No stopping to put feet on the ground. Transverse across. We can rest, shake out the acid, but the 2nd and 3rd routes non of my class sent the harder level. Thankfully our teacher knew we wouldn’t and caught us as we fell. He likes use on endurance routes to climb until our hands give up. Then as we’re fatigued he catches us falling as we might no land okay with our brains not registering in time we’re falling to land safely. Those type of classes let you know just how much you’ve still to learn and challenges to beat!
Planet Earth
Some December Cold Moon and Koi Carps for ya!
Internet Finds
Where Christmas Trees cost a month’s pay. BBC World. I like the Chichilakis idea! I didn’t have a Christmas tree this year or last plastic or real. I was just me so I only had a few decorations up. If I could have been bothered I’d have used my wood Christmas tree from last year. I can’t justify chopping down a good tree to take indoors to decorate then throw out or use a plastic one!
Maximus appeal. ‘Lucky cat’ recovers are Great Barr rescue. BBC News. And hisUPDATE!
Police department finds furry culprit behind toy theft. BBC News
Syrian town with more cats than people. BBC News.
Renewable energy in Spain. Greenhouse gas emission drop in Spain as power plants ditch coal. El Pais in English. The Spanish goverment set a target of ditching coal fired power stations by 2030. It did it last year with only 5% of energy coming from coal power plants.
Heartbreaking and heartwarming: animals rescued from Australia’s bush fires. The Guardian
How you can help animals recused from the Australian bush fires. It heartbreaking what’s happened to the animals in fires. I’m hoping the survivors especially those in the bush are tough buggers. They’ve got a tough few years ahead. They might have survived underground but it’s the next steps finding food and shelter that will be difficult.
Make joey, possum and bat wraps!
Donate to direct to Australian animal charities:
Animal Rescue Collective Receipt will come up Mini Kitty Commune/MKC
Be conscious of what you buy and use. Everything is connected! What might seem throwaway to you, took a lot of resources somewhere else to make just like the butterfly effect.
[…] containing native Australian ingredients might be affected by the bush fires too. Please see a Week Friday Favourites post under Internet Finds how you can donate to help with the going care for animals affected by the […]