Spring scrubbing the wooden deck. I borrowed a power washer this year for the first time, and it kind of helped some, but to get the worst parts clean without blasting the wood to pieces, proper manual scrubbing with a soapy brush still seems to be the way to go.

Eric was re-sanding and re-oiling the kitchen table. It’s not as moisture-resistant as it could be.

Nysse was watching his movements, almost as if he was hypnotized and couldn’t turn his gaze away. There’s something about rapid, repetitive movements back and forth that just captivates him. His head goes back and forth, and he looks like he’s about to pounce any moment.

Bleh. Snow again. Isn’t it time for spring yet?

At five o’clock in the afternoon there is still bright sunshine in places. So much better than the winter’s darkness. The short days of winter do not agree with me.

We bought a new kitchen table. Here it is, set for an inaugural dinner, with a bonus (malus) cat photobombing it.

The old one Eric and I bought at Habitat in London just after moving there, so that would have been in 2001. Getting twenty years of use from a table isn’t bad.

But it really was on its last legs now. The veneer strips on the edges were falling off, the varnish on the top was completely worn through in places. Most importantly, it was wobbly and squeaky as hell because all the joins were loose, no matter how much we tightened the screws. We’ve had way too many incidents with drinks sloshing over from glasses when someone accidentally pushes against the table. And using it for kneading dough or energetic whisking or even cutting crusty bread has been quite frustrating.

We chose the new table with those learnings fresh in mind. No veneer, and no varnished finish. Solid oak throughout, with an oiled finish that we can just sand down again and reapply oil to when needed. And the thickest, most solid construction we could find! I hope this one will last us more than two decades.

It was all sunny and warm outside and felt like spring, even though it’s the middle of February. It isn’t actually spring, though, which became very apparent when I went out into the garden with the camera. The ground is frozen hard with just a thing soggy layer on top, and everything is still dormant.

A squirrel visited the bird feeder and gorged itself on sunflower seeds. An upside-down working position allowed it to stuff its face with barely any breaks.

Nysse was watching like the hunter he is. Poised, focused, all attention on the squirrel, tail twitching and swishing. In fact his sudden attention was what made us notice the squirrel at all.