Functioning at an altogether different pace today. Started the day early – providing a taxi service to my mother and her septuagenarian friends, who have a more interesting social life than me. I had the misfortune of for getting my Costco card so paid far more from petrol ⛽️ than I was happy to do but I had no choice or be late.

I came home, wrote a few blog posts and then we realised it was lunchtime and it was my turn to make lunch. Nothing really inspiring came to mind so opened the fridge and thought let me just use up the leftovers chuck them in the instant pot and see what happens. So that’s exactly what I did. In went a bag of wilting spinach, three fading sticks of celery, the portobello mushrooms from the mini-barbecue on Saturday. I sautéed the last of the usable garlic cloves and two hippies onion in some coconut oil. I added the vegetables, a chopped up chicken stock cube, a teaspoon of salt, just under a litre of water, the last can of chick peas and a cup of rice and let it all cook for 30 minutes.

When it came out. It was a mush but a very tasty mush reminded me of something like congee – Chinese rice porridge recipe.

We were both feeling quite sleepy afterwards, and it was really tempting to have an afternoon snooze. But we decided that the best thing to do was go for a walk around f the neighbourhood. We have been here a year and I can count on the fingers of one hand, how many times I’ve been on a walk with Ignacio around here. It was a good opportunity to go a little further and a bit bolder in exploring the place. I mean I think the place is safe. We live in an area based around three big gorges but I would never go there by myself. I wouldn’t feel safe, regardless of the reality of the situation. We walked for just under 3 miles around the through the gorges. It was pleasant, some bits steep (!) but doable. And I guess just pretty. I loved waking around and looking UP. Looking up at the chalk walls of the gorge. They do look awesome to me. I loved looking at the wildlife even though I can’t yet name what I could see.

When I got home, then I allowed myself a little snooze, well deserved I think.