Siri in Isolation

Some months ago, my friend, Hanne, who lives in Covid-safe Denmark, suggested that I watch the progress of a nest of ospreys,  https://stream.webstream.dk/naturstyrelsen/ , high in Gripskov, a forest north of Copenhagen. Cameras and microphones had been installed so that viewers all over the world could follow the birds as they fixed the nest, laid 3 eggs, took turns sitting on them, until 2 chicks emerged. One egg didn’t make it. We watched the chicks scream for food, the parents swooping in with dangling bits in their beaks to be shared, and then suddenly the chicks were big, stomping around the ample nest, tearing at the live food brought by the parents and testing their considerable wings. All this accompanied by the sounds of the wind in the trees, the bird screams, and the hoot of a distant train - a peaceful scene that made your face relax. View from Oswaldo's study Meanwhile, in Gávea, we were oblivious to a similar event beginning to unfold. Hummingbirds are known to be te...

I’ve slept badly these last weeks. Anxious dreams and negative thoughts have haunted my nights. A lot of staring into the dark and thinking, “Oh no. Why did I do/say that?”  Rain on Dentista beach There’s a reason for this unsettled state: we have owned a beach house and a boat for the last 22 years. For various reasons we had put them on the market for 4-5 years without any success, and then suddenly, in the course of one weekend, we had a firm buyer for the boat and 3 offers on the house. When you’ve been the sole owner for all those years you have no knowledge of the ins and outs of property sales and, as a result, the ensuing days have been stressful, filled with insecurity and demands for a surprising amount of documentation. Add to this our Covid isolation and there’s a hot mix of worry right there.       Last week Oswaldo and I spent two days there alone – our first real outing from our home since mid-March – separating and packing what we would remove from th...