Last night, on New Year’s Eve, I did indeed go to bed early. I didn’t go to sleep early, though. Freya had been quite tentatively relaxed during the day with all the fireworks going on, and she joined us on the bed, cuddled up against my stomach.
Then midnight came, and the fireworks ramped up exponentially. Faster, louder, closer, brighter. Freya’s eyes and ears were working overtime. So I laid on my back and lifted her unto my chest, as we do often. She laid down, and put her chin against my hand, asking for comforting pets. So I petted her chin and cheeks and she started to purr!
Then there were some loud bangs very close by, and she left to go protect her ears somewhere. But not for long, about ten minutes later she came back, laid down on my chest again, and demanded more pets. Big eyes, ears moving around, but still semi-relaxed because we were together, she kept demanding comfort snuggles for almost an hour. Then the fireworks became quieter and she finally allowed us to go to sleep. She’s such a sweet, special cat!
So this morning I was feeling a bit tired from the short night, but also quite relaxed that the fireworks had finally ceased. Here in The Hague, it’s quite intense around New Year. It starts in the beginning of December already, usually. This year was no different. And not only the fireworks did a lot of damage (four dead, many injured, and an enormous amount of material damage), but also the New Year bonfire in Scheveningen got out of control, sending sparks and ashes all over Scheveningen and causing fires! There were even “firenados“… Scheveningen is part of The Hague, so that was close…
The contrast is great. Today, it’s a bit cloudy, the sun is creeping through shyly, and the animals can get some rest. I have been spinning a bit, and then I got an idea: why not get out all the things that I’ve made in 2018 for a group picture? So that’s what I did!
In 2018, I have created nine shawls, ten skeins of yarn, a hat, and two pairs of mittens (one pair is not in the photo). Actually, I’ve spun one of the yarns for one of the shawls this year too. Two of the shawls are woven, and five of them are knitted with my own handspun.
Bringing out these projects felt really good. Every project is connected to its own moments from 2018, so they are a bit like trips down memory lane. And it’s fun to see and feel the textures and colours of the various things that I made. To phantasize about what those pretty skeins of handspun could become in the future… in 2019, perhaps?
Then I put the projects away again, and I decided to take a walk around the neighbourhood with my camera. It didn’t look that cold outside, and I was looking forward to some sunlight and fresh air.
It was quite a mess still. I also noticed more dog poo than usual, which is kind of understandable, because I imagine that most people would want their panicking dogs to go back inside asap on New Year’s Eve. But still, not a pretty sight.
When walking around, I noticed that it’s still autumn-like in nature. It hasn’t been really cold yet, so the gerberas and some other flowers are still blooming happily.
Now I’m back inside with a hot cup of winter tea. Even though it wasn’t freezing, my hands were getting quite cold. Of course, Freya joined me for tea! I’ve put some vegetable soup on the stove for tonight, and the house is smelling wonderful and cosy. I’m staying in for the rest of the day, spinning. I’ve got a project to finish!
