Winter Wonders and Cozy Celebrations

First News of the Week: 2026

💜 Over the last two weeks, we've been so lucky with the weather. It's been sunny outside constantly, and I can hardly remember the last time it rained. We even got a bit of snow! Lucy is thrilled; she absolutely loves it.

💜 We initially planned to celebrate New Year's just the two of us, but our friends surprised us at the last minute, and we ended up celebrating at home. It was such a good time—so fun and cozy—that I completely forgot about my phone.

💜 We spent midnight at Parliament Hill to catch the city’s main fireworks show. To be honest, it was a bit underwhelming. We had a poor view of the fireworks at the London Eye, but they launched so many directly in front of us. The atmosphere felt pretty unsafe! For this reason, the main hill in the city, Primrose Hill, is closed for two days from December 30 to January 1.

💜 My orchid has bloomed! It turned out to be an incredibly beautiful shade of pink-purple. My husband suggested we print a photo and leave it in the mailbox of the neighbors from whom I rescued it.

💜 Just as the New Year arrived, spring seems to be approaching already. The daffodils by our house are starting to sprout, and they're selling them at the Saturday market.

💜 We played tennis for the first time on a frozen court. Interestingly, there's a separate sport called ice tennis. If you’re playing in sneakers, you definitely need two important skills: a bit of foolishness and a lot of courage!

💜 Today, we encountered this funny pyramid for hedgehogs. In many parks, there are workshops where locals come together to build homes for bugs, hedgehogs, and other little creatures. We definitely need to join one of those!