wire trees

 i was fancying a wee wire tree and, seeing as the weather is uniformly awful, should be getting stuck into making something shortly. this is one of the better videos about doing this sort of thing (fear not english speakers - subtitles available!), not least because he advised actually looking at trees and letting the mind flow... 

should you fancy a go he also does a good starter video - there aren't any english subtitles on this but you can get it to autotranslate of you go into settings in your youtube menu

olafur arnalds

 

something mellow for sunday

love, death and robots

i watch hardly any tv these days, unless it's for language practice, but i was still watching it a bit when love, death and robots came out. i was really taken by the imagination, the storytelling and the general unusual nature as it first appeared on netflix. i wasn't so taken with the second series as it seemed, to me, to fall back on more recognisably 'safe' tropes for a mainstream streaming service. not so, series 3 which was definitely a return to form. what i like is the huge difference between the episodes and the fact the viewer is definitely not going to like them all. that said, the final episode stood out head and shoulders above the rest. absolutely gorgeous to watch. 

plants

 yes, it's been a bike kind of week thanks to the demise of my trainer. i have been outside but i just don't get the kind of focused structure in a proper training session indoors. what to do? look about me. i haven't been doing much in the way of botanising of late, not least because looking at the disaster that is the natural environment at the moment just doesn't fill me with joy. that said, plants still abound and there's lots to see. and once you start to notice what's about you, it's impossible not to un-notice it again. so here's some basics...

keeping motivated

disaster for me as my trainer decides it's time to break. while it's off being replaced under warranty i've been looking at other options for the future (and being generally unimpressed over longevity vs price) but i bumped into a decent video re the wahoo kickr bike by mark lewis. i'm not normally a watcher of mark lewis as his approach just isn't for me but the kickr vid lead me onto this one, which i found surprisingly useful.

in part because i watch quite a few of these things because i live in a land of people who are generally unhealthy and getting them motivated (thet ask - my days of advocacy have long past!) not to be is really tricky so, using my educational experience at work, being on the lookout for different approaches is always good. but also because mark lewis seems to have mellowed his approach somewhat. the latter part of the vid, for me, was the most useful, about feel and about how people react. this struck a chord. positivity around you is important! 

and even more bike inspiration

i've cycled all these roads. lovely.  

yet more bike inspiration

 

more bike inspiration

 

bike inspiration

 

plan b

still waiting for this year's installment of movistar shenaningans. in the mean time jumbo visma have got on the bandwagon of team documentaries with this which, if anything, proves, even if you're a team like jumbo visma, winning is difficult. wout van aert - what a monster. but primoz roglic - legend! the whole team comes across well. no tantrums here! lol 

kit bashing

after christophe and pronunciation (he's doing a thing now where he's posting followers singing along - it's great!) i've discovered the world of kit bashing and therein, bill making stuff. it's unlikely i'll be making any of these things but i applaud anyone who has a making nook in the eaves of their house. and this vid exemplifies just why everyone should have a bead box. why watch netflix et al when you could be doing this?  

and in french....

 it's not that i don't listen to french, i'm just not focused on it right now. that said, if you want a bright spot in your day here's this guy. it's super simple but he's just so cheery and upbeat i make sure i have a space in my day for him. and yes, occasionally i do sing along! lol 

his instagram feed is way better. here he is with some donkeys

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CeYObFzoF1b/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D&fbclid=IwAR3IU1tKvndK6XN4HYe8booSvrIRg51zF7lmCOduiLzLV_6PrxsxxYv1Uso