Tag: tel aviv

This week’s long run: running rainbows

This morning’s long run was a race against the rain (spoiler alert — I lost at the last kilometre). Started out at 5:30, one of my earliest runs yet, and I could see the dark rain clouds come in over the sea. I would have loved to take a picture of them and the giant waves, but I prioritized getting my run over with before I got completely drenched, so I pushed forward instead.

I did stop to take a picture of this heron (there’s a better picture of him on the way back) because he looked so majestic against the backdrop of the river and the rising sun.

You can’t see him particularly well, but this is a pied kingfisher atop a pole. I saw him there last week too, so maybe that’s his spot. Later on during the morning seagulls take over the area and no kingfishers are to be found.

These pair of Egyptian geese were out grazing and the male really didn’t approve of me taking photos of his wife. They are large and pretty fearless birds, so once he started complaining at me I made sure to give him plenty of space.

And the heron from earlier, enjoying a cold morning dip:

A little egret paced along the temporary beach created by the low tide. He looked busy and preoccupied.

Just after I took this photo in a light drizzle on the last 900 meters of my run, torrential rain started, coupled by cold winds. Arrived home drenched and freezing, but elated. Running in the rain is a wild experience that everyone should try at least once.

This week’s long run: cormorants

It’s funny going on a morning run and seeing the moon for a good part of the way.

Sunrise wasn’t too far away though, and with the waves and the clouds it painted a very pretty picture:

In the park a pair of hoopoes was shy enough to keep their distance, but I still managed to get a shot of one of them. Their colouring seems so bold until you see them by the mud of the riverbank.

Then it was cormorants all the way, from their usual tree, to a fishing pair in the river:

They really can dive, and I spent a minute or two trying to guess where they’ll emerge next.

All in all a good 10k run in pretty chilly weather.

This week’s long run: seagulls and Serial

For the first time ever I ran two 10ks in a week, and my legs kind of hate me right now.

I listened to the last episode of season 3 of Serial and it was heartbreaking, as was this entire season.

Seagulls in the sunrise:

And ducks:

Not sure if you can see them there, but here are some baby Egyptian geese with their parents:

Seagulls perched on boats, which is pretty unusual, as they normally don’t fly this far up river.

A kingfisher perched on a wire:

And finally some Egyptian geese grazing near the path:

Market stall sketch

Decided to stick to a limited palette on this one. Zebra and Faber Castell brush pens on paper bag, drawn during an Urban Sketchers sketch walk.

Flower stall

Flower stall at the Tel Aviv Port. Zebra and Faber Castell brush pens on a paper bag, drawn during an Urban Sketchers sketch walk.

Scenes from the market

I drew this on a small paper bag with Koh-I-Noor Tri Tone coloured pencils set. Scenes from the Tel Aviv Port market, drawn during an Urban Sketchers sketch walk.

Quick update

  • I’ve started reading my 54th (!) book of the year, John Scalzi’s “The Collapsing Empire”. I’m not skim trading anything, it’s just that my newly acquired Kindle Paperwhite allows me to fill more empty time with reading.
  • Adding more strength workouts to my training schedule has made me appreciate yoga more.
  • I’ve played Matt Leacock’s “Forbidden Sky” cooperative board game and it is fantastic. I’ll post a review once I’ve run through it a few more times.

  • It’s still not raining here, which is worrying.
  • I’ve been back to writing every day, even if some days it’s only 200 words.

Keep at it, don’t let them get you down, you’re awesome! Swing for the fences.