natjtan Happy Spring!
Here comes the warm!
How are you?! I hope you’re okay!
If you’re isolating, under lockdown yet are allowed to run or cycle outside for exercise and aren’t afraid, please run and cycle outside! Here in Spain we’re under Covid-19 lockdown. We’re allowed out for food, medicine, the bank, doctors, work or to walk the dog. From Monday, Catalunya region needs a form saying where you’re going to and from. Any other reason is out. Fines are in place. So soak up the sunshine out, soak up the greenery, soak up the spring flowers I can only see from my balcony!
Cherry blossom last week. I can only imagine how much more in bloom it is
This Weekend Friday Favourites, things that have made me smile recently or caught might be a little all over the place. Some might be about what I’m grateful for now my world is vastly smaller.
Sea View
I’m thankful I have a sea view from all the windows and balconies. There’s some grey concrete jungle inbetween, but I can see nature, some greenery and trees. The weather gets rainy next week, which helps me deal with the days better. I have morning sun until 13.00 before it moves on. I’ve always noticed here I’m happy to be in in the mornings when it’s sunny. Soon as it moves my mood gets a little slagging. That’s when I like go outside. It’s been sunny and we’re cooped up. If it’s rainy while I’d still go out, I’m not so in a rush to do so.
Doggies On Their Walks
For sure their humans are taking their time walking them. I would too if I had a dog (I’ve read people are even renting out their dogs for walks!). I’m sure the dogs know something is up as walks have been cut short but seeing them out happily wagging their tail to be out makes me smile. Yes, I’m jello green at their humans and I want a dog!
Barcelona Zoo The Day Before Lockdown
I got to spend an hour at the zoo before lockdown started experiencing the sunny spring days of few humans around that the residents are have now. It was the perfect early sunny spring afternoon. Quiet and green. Greenery is what I’m missing, the freedom to cycle and run. I know it’s for a reason but I foresee there’ll be a lot of mental health issues in the future. It’s like at the moment you rob Paul to pay Peter between work and lives.
One of my favourite pop singers is back!!! Going back to her pop roots I’ve been loving when Stupid Love comes up on my playlist.
I can’t get outside to run and cycle, but I can cycle inside! Okay, half on the balcony and half inside the living room. The aparement’s so high up I’m a little hesitant to go full out on the balcony. The Thursday when gyms, public spaces were announcing they were closing on the following Saturday this was one of the first things I ordered. I used P’s road bike at first, now I prefer using my own bike. Really easy to set up and use it’s been keeping me sane a little. I can see in another week I’ll start going a little bat-shit crazy and I don’t see the lockdown ending in a week. Maybe in a month I might be able cycle and feel fresh air on my face. To secure the front wheel a forum suggested an old trainer which is working fine. I’m still working out the friction roller for more resistance however I’m so happy it arrived and equally as happy and grateful for online shops, factories and delivery people at the moment.
Home Gym and Studio Tone Up
Luckily I don’t use machines at the gym, never have, preferring free weights, kettle bells, bosus etc and have a lot of home fitness equipment at home so I can do my own workouts. Once I start I’m fine, sometimes the motivation to get up working out can be a little go go go Nat. I have to talk to myself sternly before sometimes. I can’t lift as heavy, but for now the equipment I have is enough. Climbing, I have a pull up bar and making myself do pull ups, hanging abs exercises, For the days I would run, I’m doing workouts from Tone It Up’s Studio Tone Up app (they currently have a 30 day free trial). I’ve also started their 4 week mediation, yoga and wellness program. Kinda the appropriate time to start!
Podcasts
Where would I be at without Bill Burr’s Monday Morning and Thursday Monday Morning Podcasts?! I usually listen to him while I get lunch and this week they’ve been making me laugh which is so needed at the mo. I’ve started to listening to The Bill Bert Podcast while cycling on the balcony. I have a few others I like such as Sibling Reverly with Kate Hudson and her bother Oliver Hudson. Rich Roll and Joe Rogan I listen to every now and then but Old Freckles is who I listen to the most. If you know of any great podcasts, please let me know!
I can’t believe I haven’t finished yet CLOY! I really thought I’d have finished this by now but I haven’t. Honestly I haven’t watched much YouTube either although my phone use has been up. From now on I will have to tell myself useless scrolling or CLOY? I know what I’d choose! Each episode is about an hour plus long. Watching CLOY at times I get zzzzzz as I’m tired not because it’s a boring series. It isn’t! It’s a great Kdrama, one of the best! I really recommended it! Dramabeans is also great for in-depth recaps. Yes, I know what happens, but that doesn’t take away the magic watching it. Is this a post of what I’ve done this week?!
Heron in Flight
Herons in flight always remind me of pterodactyls in The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle. I’ve been wanting to get a shot of one and few weeks ago I got lucky! It’s not the greatest, but I’m happy!
So there you have it, a kinda boring Weekend Friday Favourites, yet filled with some of things I’m I’m grateful for at the moment. What’s been making you smile recently or caught your eye? Please share in the comments below!
Miss already this space. One of the pygmy hippo enclosures at Barcelona Zoo. If I ever have a garden I want it tropical like this.