I am writing this from a semi-horizontal position in bed. The tail end of the week has ushered in a terrible case of the flu, one I’m calling the Great Plague of 2016. Many of my colleagues are out, suffering from the same illness, too. Send love and Theraflu!

Here’s other things I loved this week not captured in photos:

• This week saw me attend emergency management training. I learned a tonne and feel confident I can perform almost all of the positions required in the comms center in the event of an emergency. Preparation is key, because you never know what lies ahead. It’s reassuring — I feel confident that I can do what I need to do when the time comes.
• I have been listening to Oh Land after finding out she’s the ethereal voice that sings the intro song to my new favourite TV show, ‘Rita‘. It’s Danish, and it just adds to the appeal. Rita’s a total badass.
• New collaborations are in the works
• Countdown to Eurovision is down to 48 days and 10 hours!

 

14.03.2016: That evening light in Northern California makes everything look magical and beautiful, even if it’s 130 years old and in desperate need of a new coat of paint. Nature’s airbrush.

15.03.2016: Evening walks to admire the trees and imbibe other people’s stories through my ears. There are some stragglers who have only just started blooming, but it’s nice to see there’s some left. Cherry blossom season can be so fleeting. This soft pink one and the light that was on it really captured my eye.

16.03.2016: Had to rise at the crack of sparrows to attend emergency management training. It was dark when I left my house, with daylight just breaking as I arrived at the bus stop. It’s not my preferred time of day, but I do enjoy seeing the sunrise every now and again. Well, if I am being honest — very, very rarely.

17.03.2016: I finished the emergency training today and found my group really stepped it up even more after our commendable effort the day before. Pretty proud, particularly when my two short films were played to the group as examples of what you can make in 30mins. It pays to play to your skill set in a crisis.

With the time change I made it back in time to go for a walk. Was great to wander about and just decompress after the session.

18.03.2016: Today, I had an extra long catch up and cello lesson with my teacher, followed by had a few medical appointments. It was a jam-packed day – so much for a day off! – but I was happy to tick off all the things on my list. And I only had to have one skin cancer burnt off, even though I thought it was going to be four. It was a good day.

I was grateful for being able to get stuff like that taken care of (and for it to all be good news), for finding Arnott’s Tim Tams on sale (2 packets for $6 at Target! — the real deal, not the Pepperidge version), and for being treated to this gorgeous sunset.

19.03.2016: I was invited to a barn in the middle of nowhere to meet people and play music with them. It took me a long time to get to this place in the middle of a world city, but this place exists. And it’s wonderful!

I listened to jazz in the barn and Gaelic reels on the deck. I took a wander around the property, met the local horse and watched the fog roll in over from Orinda. If I didn’t have pictures, I would have assumed I was dreaming. It’s heavenly out there.

20.03.2016: The Great Plague of 2016 has struck me down. I have been pretty much confined to bed today, so here’s a photo I took earlier in the week on my walking adventures. For there is little here to entertain you, just copious cups of tea, Ricola lozenges, and a doona/duvet littered with tissues.