Walking in Space

This was the scene yesterday afternoon when I took Olga to Fortune Green. You know it's January when Camden Council's tree recycling pen is overflowing! (Olga is thinking, "Why is he making me stand here?")

As you can see, it was a misty, damp day, which didn't stop that woman on the benches from sitting there determinedly. As I always say, if you wait for good weather to do anything in England, you'll be waiting a long time. People here know how to live with the climate!

At least it wasn't freezing. We moved the tree fern back out onto the patio, and I can now once again easily access my side of the bed. No more Jungle Room. The forecast doesn't call for freezing temperatures for the next several nights.

The dog and I had a good walk through the cemetery. She has become so fixated on squirrels, and so vocal in her frustration when they're up in the treetops, that she embarrasses me. She stands beneath the trees and essentially goes on a rant, barking dozens of times in quick succession, and ignores all my calls and commands. When there are people around I imagine them thinking, "Why can't he get that dog to behave?" (Although usually they're laughing at her zeal.) It's funny, considering she barely barked at all when we first got her. She's gradually grown much more expressive. (She never barks in the house, though, thank God.)

I also heard an owl when we were out on our neighborhood walk yesterday morning. A tawny owl, I believe. So that was cool.

Last night, we watched George Clooney's movie "The Midnight Sky" on Netflix. I liked it a lot, even though it included a spacewalking scene -- if there's one thing that gives me the willies in movies it's spacewalking. I get so anxious I almost have to leave the room. Submarine movies do that to me, too. I have a deep-seated (and perfectly natural, it seems to me) phobia about being any place where I can't breathe naturally. For the same reason, I could never scuba dive. I'm sure it's a fantastic experience and I admire all my friends who do it, but I'll stick to snorkeling.

This morning I woke up at 4:45 a.m. I rolled over because it was WAAAAY too early to get up, and the next thing I knew it was almost 7! I never sleep that late. But it felt great!