Slowly scary, icy walkee

I walked to the ICA this morning, and it was the worst trip to the shops I’ve ever experienced. Even the Swedes were taking things easy. Well, unless they were in a vehicle of course. The roads are lovely and ice free, the footpaths are like frozen rivers of ice. But then, we know that cars are way more important than mere humans.

Obviously I was wearing my spikes but I still had to be careful. Fellow pedestrians were not so properly shod. Young, old, male, female, indeterminate, they were all taking great care. As we exchanged greetings, heads down and wary, many expressed grim humour at the dangerous surfaces.

It made for a rather scary trip but well worth it given I made chicken and red pepper stew for dinner. We even indulged in sourdough rolls in order to mop up the juices afterwards. (This is mandatory at Chez Gaz.)

Fi reckons she’s being spoiled with my meals but, I reckon it’s me who’s being spoiled given she does the washing up every night. In fact, this afternoon, she shovelled the remaining snow from the drive after I’d started clearing it. So who is being spoiled exactly?

Mirinda is off to uni in the morning, so the car needed to be freed and accessible. It made for an excellent way to warm up, given the stuga has little heating at the moment. I guess it’s not the best time to get someone out to fix things. Though, the electrician finally answered Mirinda’s pleas and they are due to arrive sometime tomorrow. Or Monday.

My other big job this morning was to pack away the thousands of Christmas decorations which covered the dining table, having been removed from the tree yesterday. I had to pack them away in order for us to eat dinner.

Speaking of the tree, the lounge looks a lot bigger now that it’s gone. It’s funny how you forget. A Christmas tree takes up a lot of space.

To end the day, while Fi did the washing up, Mirinda and I planned our upcoming trip to Portugal. Now we have confirmed house sitters, the journey needs to be decided given we’re going by train. I have to say, I am really looking forward to seeing Paris again. I am also looking forward to ice free surfaces to walk on.

That’s one icy path leading out of the cemetery.

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2 Responses to Slowly scary, icy walkee

  1. Neil Cookson says:

    Hi Gary,
    Enjoy Portugal

    If you are heading towards Porto you and Mirinda might enjoy an excursion to Quinta De La Rosa on the banks of the river Douro.
    https://www.quintadelarosa.com/

    A small family owned Quinta near Pinhao it is easily reached by train and featured as a checkpoint hotel in the first series of celebrity Race across the World. While I can’t vouch personally for the accommodation I have certainly enjoyed several bottles of their wine over the years (particularly the reds) and, if it’s your thing, the Port isn’t bad either 🙂
    I’m probably a little biased since the current owner is the daughter of Tim Bergqvist my late father’s best man and a lifelong friend of his. Dad once told me how Tim had managed to see the place through some difficult times in Portugal and a stay there is on my bucket list.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity_Race_Across_the_World_series_1

  2. Gary says:

    Hi Neil. Quinta de la Rosa looks amazing! We will definitely try and visit. We’ll be near Lisbon so it’s not that far away. Thank you for that. Gary

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