Good morning, everyone. I have been away for a long time and feel that I owe you a few words of explanation. Back in June, I quietly promised myself that I would return to Hive right after the holidays. I really wanted to keep that promise, but life, as it is, sucked me into everyday routine and suddenly months passed without any new posts. I apologise for the break. I know that some of you have been checking in here hoping for fresh news about the animals and my little trips into the field. Today, I felt that this was the day to get back in touch and tell you about my ordinary, yet good Saturday. In the morning, I made myself a quiet cup of coffee and reached for a book that I had been putting off for a long time because there was always something more urgent to do. I found a comfortable spot by the window, let the cooler air into the flat and read without haste, chapter by chapter, until I felt that pleasant silence in my head that only comes when a story really draws you in. In the afternoon, my fiancé and I sat down to play Monopoly. Our copy is already a little worn out, the banknotes are crumpled, and the dice seems to like repeating the same numbers, but it's just as much fun every time. We laughed at landing on other people's squares, bantered about rents and who was lucky and who was pretending to be strategic. I don't even know who won, because the results disappear faster than the emotions, and for me the most valuable thing is sitting together at the table, talking, putting our phones away and spending a few hours that belong only to us.
When the sun began to set, we went for a walk because I needed some exercise and contact with nature. I always breathe more deeply and see more details then, maybe it's a biology teacher's bias, or maybe just a habit. Sparrows were bustling about in the gardens and hedges. I saw one of them nestled in the branches of a thuja tree, looking like a little ball of life hidden in the greenery, and for a moment it didn't move at all, as if listening to the same wind as me. A moment later, I came across a pair of pigeons standing proudly on the roof, looking as if they were guarding their own kingdom. I took a few photos of them because such moments pass quickly, and I like to return to them in the evening when I organise my day. It is in such simple images that I remember why I love watching birds and why I need nature so much in my everyday life. We finished our walk in the late afternoon and I returned home with a sense of calm that I had been missing for the past few weeks. That is why today I am saying out loud what I promised myself in the summer. I am returning to Hive and will once again write regularly, share photos, short stories from our walks and interesting facts that I bring back from biology lessons and my little field observations. Thank you for your patience and for staying with me, even when I fell silent for a moment. It is important to me because I know that on the other side there are people who, like me, like to slow down, look at the treetops, follow the flight of an ordinary sparrow and smile at two pigeons on the roof. I am happy to share today's photos and I hope that they will transport you, at least for a moment, to this quiet, green space where I relax in the best possible way.
