One of those days!

Ginger Tom

It's been one of those days and yet that's okay. It hasn't been a disaster, our animals are doing okay, no one is ill, it was just work. Online meetings are fantastic in one way, until they're not. They are a handy way of connecting with colleagues from around the world. I'm even trying to set up a meeting with someone in Brazil to tell my students about what is happening there. It might not happen, but just the sheer thought that it is possible is quite amazing really. This morning I was trying to use Microsoft Teams to check a connection today for a meeting tomorrow. I've used it before so it shouldn't have been an issue, but which account? Tried one, no, tried another, no. One account lets me access the EU based seminar, but I can't use it due to work not using Microsoft Teams, or something like that. The other one wasn't registered as an EU account, sigh! Anyway it's sorted. I'm just being added as a guest. It was just an hour of my life, that's all.....

Yay! Nearly all gone! (5th March)

Or maybe not! (7th March)

Nearly finished. Not so happy about the top
but we'll see what we can do. 

Brexit reared its ugly head again this week too. I got a text from my mobile phone company reminding me that calls to the UK are no longer at EU rates. Oh yes! I had forgotten. I phoned last month to a company to arrange for a delivery to my father for his birthday and over the weekend I had phoned my parents to sort out a present for one of the grandson's. Last month's calls were listed and it was rather more than my more local calls. The one to my parents was longer, so going to be a bit expensive. No I'm not very good at phone calls and really neither are they and that's why we hadn't realised before now. 

Turbjørn still wearing his coat. He's still loosing 
some weight but Ian and he have come to an 
arrangement at putting away time. He's not daft.
He comes alongside Ian while the others are all
racing into the alpaca house to get ready for
their trays to be put down for them to eat from.
Ian surreptitiously feeds Turbjørn a few mouthfuls
in peace without the competition from the rest.

Christmas trees are still being enjoyed, apart from
Freddie who has seen something.

Mind you, I only really use my mobile phone for the internet anyway, I hardly phone anyone and hardly anyone phones me, except in an emergency. A phone call can almost induce a momentary feeling of panic because of this. Not that I'm a panicky sort but just might need to steel myself to take the call. If someone from work phones, it is because there is an urgent request, we normally arrange a meeting to talk or email. So of course my phone had to go off during a meeting with an organisation this week, just as I was about to introduce myself. If it had been five minutes later it would have been fine. Oh well! No harm done, I guess.

Antonia is starting to look very fluffy.

They tried their best to eat all the snow, but they
weren't fast enough in the end.

Christmas trees are just so yummy

It is kind of weird though that due to the strange times we are in, I am more connected to people in different countries than I am to the people who live across the hallway of our apartment block. I've mentioned my chat to someone in Brazil, but also there have been chats with folks in Germany, Slovenia, Portugal, France, Belgium. I've been arranging a virtual visit with a university in the UK, chats with my daughter in Australia and so on, It is winter here though and so people do tend to hibernate anyway and the brief spring-like weather we had last week didn't last and now we are almost back to where we started, knee-deep in snow - well maybe that is a slight exaggeration but not far off. By the time people emerge from hibernation, we've usually made the move out to our land.

Amanda looks so weary. I hope she is going to 
be a good mum.

The sun looks so warm but do not be deceived

I know Ian is moaning about the return of the 
snow, but it is so pretty

The vaccine roll-out here in Latvia has been slow and I'm not quite sure what's behind it yet. I know there have been some difficulties with supply but I gather there is more to it than that. At least now they seem to be ramping up the vaccination rate from a pitiful number to something that is more reasonable, but still at this rate everyone will be needing further rounds of vaccinations before anything like herd immunity is possible. In Estonia they are seeing rapid rises in cases, but fortunately not many of my colleagues have been affected. I think one of the reasons is that the Rector of the university was once a veterinarian and he seems to have ensured that the university responds in a very fast and robust manner to keep infections down. Thank goodness.

There are some amazing ice structure

Just a frosted plant really

And it twinkles and shines

Hailstones across the snow looks like
a moonscape

So not much mulling went on this last week, too many meetings for that. Still there are times to plough on ahead and times to sit and take in the scenery. So I will leave you with a poem I wrote a while ago. I may have even posted it on here before but not for a while anyway.

Winter’s last stand

The swelling buds speak of times to come

Peeking out from their furry coats

The soft wind whispers, “Soon”

The love-struck birds chirp in echo, “Soon”

The warming rays embrace the earth and murmurs sleepily, “Soon”

Winter screams back “Never!”

Covering the earth once more 

In a blanket of white.

But already his power is spent

He recedes

Thrashing into the waters of the raging river.

Losing his grip on the earth once more

Spring rises drowsily from her long sleep

Then racing with abandon

Lights the ground with a creeping verdant layer

Trees rush to embrace the warmth

Bursting with wavering branches, unfurling flags of the brightest green

Eager to pronounce the coming season.

Spring has come!

Soon!

Not quite the smooth snowy landscape of before

These two are fastened into the box to eat their
food. It used to be to stop them from snaffling 
Eyre's food but since Eyre is gone it is more to
stop them following Ian up to the alpaca houses
while he's trying to put the alpacas away at night.

A bit weird with all those little hailstones on the
snow

It was a bit vicious in the wind.