Category: Inspiration

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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Animal Kingdom, Fitness, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Nature, Weekend Friday Favourites

Weekend Friday Favourites

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Weekend Friday Favourites

I hope you’re having a great weekend! I can’t believe that we’re half way through November! While I’m in a puffer jacket and only just started layering in the evenings a jumper underneath out, the cold hasn’t started here yet. In fact it’s still a little warmer than usual. November’s usually around 16C in BCN with this year midday temps 19-20C. I’m still running in shorts!

Mid autumn fall light

Anyway this week’s Weekend Friday Favourites, things that have made me smile or caught my eye recently. 

Light

One thing I do like and perhaps the only thing I like about the chiller shorter days is the light. If you’re wrapped up warm the light’s magical.

Halloween Eve Blue Hunter Full Moon Rise

Birds Song

Catalunya from 06.00 Friday to 06.00 Monday has placed municipal weekend confinements to slow the pace of Covid-19. We’re only allowed to leave said towns and villages for work, medical, essential shopping if we can’t get in it in the said town or village, exceptional travel reasons. However we can walk, run, cycle across municipals. Stores are still open. It’s actually in effect from Thursdays 22.00 as Spain is under a nation wide curfew from 23.00-06.00 with regions able to change it an hour each side. It’s a pain at the weekends more so as the Zoo reopened this weekend and I can’t go. I can cycle around it, not visit. Monday I can! Anyway a bonus is before traffic picks up Sunday mornings you can hear birds singing. 

Hanhan Official Scrunchies

A new store opened in the centre selling Miin Cosmetics. A new Miin store I didn’t know about?! It’s in fact Miin’s sister opening her own shop, Hanhan Official selling contemporary Asian costume jewellery and accessories as well a selection of Miin Cosmetics. The large jar of scrunchies at check out caught my eye. I needed to replace mine and was after ones that wouldn’t snag my hair. The material has to be smooth enough to do so without getting tangled up and pulling out hair. These looked perfect and they were. So much so I went back and got 2 more before they sold out! 

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

City Wildlife #1

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It’s no surprise on Instagram most accounts I follow are nature based. Lots of animals, rescue centres, shelters and organisations, landscapes, the seas and oceans. I get a little envious of golden misty foggy wood scenes as I grew up in the countryside. However I equally get envious, maybe more of beautiful seas and oceans waves and shorelines. 

Get that itch! Heron

This year when out, more so at the zoo I tried to take less non zoo resident photos otherwise my photos are almost the same repeat each week. I look for the light, parrots, ducks at the park, birds flying, trees, nature cityscapes while trying to avoid taking photos of humans. Sometimes I don’t mind humans in them. If I can I like the focus on nature. She’s the star of this planet. Anyways, wildlife from July at the Barcelona Zoo, at the park: Parc de la Ciutadella , in the city.

Wrong camera speed. Wherever Mama duck went, they went. It was so cute when they started diving with their bums sticking up out the water
I think a crane nesting above an enclosure
I watched him/her land on the leaf and as soon as I said thank you silently for letting me take their photo, it flew away
Ducks at dusk
Zoo cat
Zoo cat

This summer I saw so many butterflies! Colourful ones at the zoo. White ones while running along with dragonflies. A few moths too and hardly any mosquitos!!! I think mosquitos only bite me when they’re desperate however this year the apartment was almost free of them. That doesn’t mean I didn’t escape not being bit by bugs this summer. It’s almost as if the mosquitoes knew and let the other bug have its go. On holiday I got bite by a tick which got infected, ending up in ER as it wasn’t clearing up. The night before going in the skin around it started to swell up. The doctors were closed and I didn’t want to chance it over the weekend. A course of antibiotics cleared it up and I’ll be left once the redness has gone down another white patch of non pigmented skin to join the other assorted bites and cuts white patches.

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Animal Kingdom, Fitness, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Nature, Weekend Friday Favourites

Weekend Friday Favourites

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Weekend Friday Favourites

Happy October!

Weekend Friday Favourites is back! Hopefully for longer this time! 

How’s your weekend? I’m bitter sweet sad autumn fall’s here and it’s temperature early. The care free summer days are over until next year. This year mid autumn temps have hit 20/22C early. 20C’s chilly! You can keep your pumpkin spice, cosy knits and crock pots. This girl doesn’t do layers. She likes summer warmth and the wardrobe that comes with it. The sweet part, I get more stuff done I’m not tempted by the heat, beach, sea.

Anyways Weekend Friday Favourites, things that have made me smile or caught my eye the past few months.

Snorkelling 

Photos from the P’s Go Pro. I’m working on settings

I mentioned in Summer I started snorkelling on holiday. I really thought that was it until next summer. Taking a dip at the beach I go to, I saw flash of silver. The next day I took my snorkel and couldn’t believe how many fish have been beneath me just off the shoreline. P recommended a beach he sometimes swims at, however after seeing that flash, I put everything together with the rocky bit just out at ‘my’ beach. It’s teaming with life! 

Photos from the P’s Go Pro. I’m working on settings

As often as I can I’ve been snorkelling. I could go to other beaches, but this one I know, it’s safe and much quieter compared to other Barcelona beaches. I’m getting much better with my swimming and even now have a rashie (partly due to I spent too much time in the water and at the beach that day and burnt my back. Bonus of one, it keeps me warmer!)! P’s kindly lent me his Go Pro as I don’t think me believed me when I reported back what I’ve seen. It’s tricky trying to indentiy online, however I’m sure I’ve seen small mullets, for sure sea breams, flanders to name a few. My favourites are saddled sea breams. Always curious and say hi. The highlights: a cormorant diving and hunting. All the fish kept clearing fast. Out the corner of my eye I saw what I though first was a big fish or turtle (I know, how?) and then webbed feet. I thought maybe a duck as I tried to keep out of its way. When it surfaced I realised it was a cormorant. I felt so lucky to see it hunt and sorry for the fish. Another highlight an octopus! All this metres from shore! I ordered an Olympus Tough 6 which has only just arrived and sadly I’m not sure how I’m going to go when it gets colder. A wetsuit for sure, but it’s the logistics of belongings, people around if I get in trouble. I’m already convinced that the sea level is starting it’s winter level as the beach seems bigger if that makes sense. This girl might have to read weather and tides to go midday.

Aloha Collection Big Island Flower Collection 

I’ve mentioned before my love for Aloha Collection pouches. On holiday I used them a lot and was surprised how much they pack. I wasn’t going to get any more. I had my eye on a few but said no. You have enough. That was until they released Hibiscus from their Big Island collection. My excuse I used them a lot travel and everyday, plus hibiscuses are one on my favourite flowers. My Aloha Collection pouches has grown and I’ve banned myself from the site 🙊 I can look but not buy.

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

Weekend Friday Favourites

by natjtan1 Comment on Weekend Friday Favourites

I hope you’re having a great weekend!

Covid-19 cases have risen in Catalunya and Barcelona with the regional government closing gyms, amusement parks, clubs, cinemas, leaving open bars and restaurants at 50% capacity, libraries and museums for 2 weeks to stem the spike. My gym and climbing gym rebelled as long as they could arguing that health and fitness are vital essentials that need to remain open. Even the city council was on their side. Sadly they lost and most gyms are now closed until further notice. The zoo held out for as long as possible too, closing on Monday and reopening this Saturday after petitioning to remain open. They say it’s for 15 days, but I think it’ll be longer. Thankfully it’s not a full lockdown, we’re allowed out and shops are open. The only change face masks are mandatory in all public spaces even when we can social distance. 

Anyway, this week’s Weekend Friday Favourites. Things that have made me smile or caught my eye this week.

Dietes Bicolor

Dietes Bicolor Lyon Arboretum, Oahu

Scrolling back through photos to edit for Golden Gate Bridge a flower I took in Lyon Arboretum, Oahu Hawaii stood out. It was the same flower I took at the zoo a few days ealier! After a little research it’s a Dietes Bicolor, a tropical iris native to South Africa! 

Dietes Bicolor Barcelona Zoo

Aloha Collection

On holiday earlier this year in Oahu there’s a chain of shops Sandpeople which sell local art, craft and jewellery that I kept popping into. I kept being drawn to Aloha Collection, a Hawaiian and California brand that specialises in splash proof travel pouches, bags and hip/bum bags. I thought one would be be perfect for the summer stashing a wet bikini. Everything is waterproof bar the zipper and was created with stashing wet swimsuits, easy clean toiletry and make up pouches in mind when travelling that can be multipurpose and protect other items from spillages. The black with yellow hibiscus wasn’t the one I wanted, however I thought being dark coloured would be less likely to get ruined with suncream and from being thrown in a rucksack with everything else. When we got back I couldn’t stop thinking about the mini hibiscus With Love From Paradise X Aloha pouch for a purse and well, first order you get 20% off. They have designs for everyone and I’ve had to blinker myself from the new designs out (especially the new small Lei Lei Orchid prints. Like the blue and green below but in pink and purple and the mini in pink which has sold out 😦 ). None the less, if you want a pretty splash proof lightweight pouch to stashing wet bikinis, or a pouch you can wipe down easily I can’t recommend enough Aloha Collection. They are on the pricey side, but I can see them lasting a long time. The only con I have is print on the mini pouch is beginning to fade. I guess it adds to its character. 

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