Photo diary: Project 365, weeks 18 and 19, 2026

 The last couple of weeks have been emotionally charged. 

Too many worries and anxieties, and sad news. A family friend of my in-laws who I also knew personally and met many times, has died suddenly. 

A very good friend of my Mum's called her the other day to say Farewell, as she has an incurable cancer. My Mum is devasttated, and so am I. Though I haven't seen this lady in over thirty years, I remember her family with great fondness. Staying with them was one of the highlights of my childhood and youth, they were always so welcoming, generous and kind. 

Perhaps I have reached that age, when we are rapidly losing our parents' generation, and it scares me.

My Mum is also very sad for her cat, who is very poorly, and is most likely not going to make it. The vets cannot find what's wrong. My Mum is not coping well. 

All this sadness floats like a cloud overhead. I'm feeling listless, and Project 365 is turning into a half-baked Project Whenever.

Hence a lot of my photos are just snaps taken in the shops, asking Eddie, what he fancies. This snap was taken in Waitrose, as I couldn't decide which free pack of crisps to choose as one of their Little Treats. Eddie to the rescue. He opted for Steak Diane (not my favourite flavour of crisps, won't be buying it).

Last Degustabox had a pack of a Nutty Kitchen Italian Supermince for a vegan Bolognese. I used some of it with rice in stuffed peppers, and needed to finish the pack, so cooked the pseudo-Bolognese sauce.

It really does not taste anything like Bolognese. I'd rather have a proper vegetable, meat-free sauce for pasta than this. It just didn't work for me, and I love nuts of all kinds.

It was another sad day for me. I found a little blue tit hanging head down from the netting of the currant bush. I realised it was still alive, ran into the house and cut the netting around it. It was tangled so much, it was a tricky job to cut through all the threads, trying not to hurt the little bird. 

It let me do the job, and pecked my fingers ever so gently, understanding that I'm trying to rescue it. Once it was free, I have put it among the herbs in the pot to recover. Sadly, an hour later it was gone, most likely from shock, poor little thing. I cried and buried it the next morning under the plum tree.

I have a photo of the poor birdie, while it was still alive in the pot, but I can't look at it now.

The next day I was looking for a sort of a sleeveless tank top that you can wear over a blouse. I tried several shops. The cream one is from M&S, I decided not to buy it. I bought a dark waistcoat in New Look instead, and it cost almost three times less. My Mum commented not very favourably on it, saying that I look like a hospitality industry employee (nothing wrong with that, though not perhaps the look I was after).

There is a gorgeous Californian lilac tree by the bridge, when I walk through the flood fields and the old blanket factory compound. It has such a beautiful scent.

This was the week Eddie started his GCSEs, and I've been an emotional wreck. I remember how I hated exams, they always made me panic to the point of fainting, even if I knew the subject well. It's the psychological pressure.

I have nearly finished my Paperblanks notebook, and treated myself to a new one, with a New York Rose design on the cover, from the leading design house of the Gilded Age. It's so elegant, and the paper inside is lovely, light ivory.

I enjoyed taking part in the coffee-themed Penandinkchallenge. This was my sketch on the prompt - Americano. I actually used real coffee to paint the background, then did a drawing and added a few stickers from Notebook Therapy range.

For the Espresso prompt, I did a sketch of my husband's grandmother. Nonna Elsa used to live in a granny flat at the top of the old house, with my in-laws living below. She was kind and caring. 

She would go out of her flat, and shout from the top of the stairs, Cici, Cici (her nickname for her daughter).

When we stayed with my in-laws, Elsa would invite us over for a cup of espresso. I drank it out of politeness, but for me it was like a rocket fuel, way too strong.

Elsa was a very special figure in my husband's life, as she was looking after him, when his parents were working. I will always be grateful to her for that little boy who was cherished and cared for.

My rhododenron next to the kitchen windows is in full bloom. I have noticed that the amount of bees visiting it is going down, it is worrying and sad. It used to be like a bee cafe. Now you're lucky if you see a couple of bees at the same time.

Saturday evening was all about Eurovision. Eddie told me to buy lots of snacks for the night. I kept snapping all sorts of picky bits for him to choose. Italian Aperitivo style selection was very good, with a delicious Provolone cheese, lovely little grissini and olives. 

Eurovision was the usual wacky show, with many eccentric characters. Can't say I liked the winner's song. Didn't like the tune, or the crazy dance routine.

I felt sorry for the guy from the UK. His performance was pretty awkward to watch, but there were other feeble singers who scored many more points. And then his own team left him to sit on his own, that's just awful. Glad the Danes invited him to sit at their table.

My personal favourites were Norway, Italy and, ahem, do I dare saying it loud, Israel. Politics aside, his song was beautiful, he has a good voice, and it takes courage to go on stage and perform to the boos from the public. 

Don't think my votes for Italy and Norway made any difference.

Did you watch Eurovision? Who did you vote for? And what do you think of the British entry?

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Photo diary: Project 365, week 17 2026

I think most days I cook the same dozen meals on a rota, with occasional takeaways, when my guys want a treat. I fancied trying a new twist on a recipe which I haven't cooked in years - crab cakes with a coating of Panko breadcrumbs and crushed crisps. 

You will need two tins of white crabmeat (drained), mixed with 2 eggs, mashed potato (from 1 medium potato), 1/3 cup of Panko crumbs (I used this measure for convenience as it's easier to scoop up the crumbs with the cup), 1 tbsp corn flour, salt and pepper. If you have chives, add chopped chives.

Mix well, roll into balls, flatten a bit - be gentle with the mix, as the patties are quite soft, place in the mix of breadcrumbs and crushed crisps, coat on both sides, and quickly pan fry in oil.

Serve as an appetiser, or light lunch or dinner with salad.

I used Seabrook Tomato Ketchup crinkle crisps, they added some flavour and texture to coating.

The greens on the plate are called Monk's Beard. They were on offer from Ocado. Never tried them before. Basically it's a coastline succulent, similar to samphire. It's OK, I ate it. My guys were not keen. Don't think I will buy it again, but it was fun to try.

 

We watched Greenland 2 Migration with Gerard Butler, and there was a scene when they arrive by boat into the flooded Liverpool. I just had to take a snap for Eddie, who recently visited Liverpool to watch a football game.

Apparently we've seen the first film, though I have completely forgotten about it. I vaguely remembered some scenes, but overall it was a very distant memory. I think it came out during the first year of Covid.

Have you seen Greenland & Greenland 2?

Our local library was closed for refurbishment for almost a year, and now that it is back, I'm trying to visit it at least once every three weeks. It also should help with buying less books (that is, it should in principle, in real life this hasn't solved the problem so far).

The shelf I am drawn to is the British Library Tales of the Weird. I bought several books from the series, and borrowed quite a few from the library. They vary in themes, each volume has a selection of stories on a certain topic.

Roads of Destiny and other tales of alternative histories and parallel realms must be one of the best ones in the series. Absolutely loved the Introduction by Alasdair Richmond, it's superbly written, informative and inspiring. I made a long-ish list of books, mentioned in the Intro, that I would love to read.

Think alternative history, multiverse, where familiar events take a different turn. One of my personal favourites was a short story by Gerald Kersh, called An Undistinguished Boy. It imagines a Nazi-occupied Britain. Poignant and moving, it makes you think.

An excellent collection.

My Mum has been writing poetry since her early teens, both in Russian and Ukrainian. She was in a boarding school in Donbas. Sadly, the town where she grew up, is almost a wasteland now thanks to the senseless war. One of her poems, written in high school, was the winner in the regional competition, and she still remembers that with fondness.

I wanted to translate one of Mum's poems into English. It is very personal. I love it but also feel conflicted about it, as it's meant to be about my father, who I loved very much. They were very different people, quite incompatible, both talented, each of them vivid and creative in their own way.

My darling Dad is gone these past 26 years. 

The poem is quite savage, a declaration of self, fierce and unbending. Trying to keep true to her poem, I kept my translation simple, capturing the mood and sacrificing the rhyme.

The illustration is a reference to her thoughts, galloping like wild Scythean horse.

At the weekend, when my husband is not travelling, we take Sasha out to his favourite cafe, where we often meet a retired American gentleman who loves to chat. 

A couple of weeks ago, while queuing, I asked him what he was reading, as I spotted a book he left on the table when he went for a refill. He told me he's a big fan of John Grisham. 

Then a week later he arrived, when I have already left the guys to enjoy their food and drinks, and gave my husband a bag with two Grisham's books for me. 

At first, I was a bit peeved, as I have so many books to read, including some that I agreed to review for the blog tours. I do appreciate a kind gesture, it's just the timing is not perfect. 

I did a couple of book reviews on my blog in the last week, and decided to start reading The Exchange, which is a sequel to The Firm (love the film, which we've seen many many times, and it's still brilliant, and read a book years ago and enjoyed it too). Now I'm glad that he took the initiative. The book is very good so far.

First week of May, and a new Penandinkchallenge list of prompts. This week's prompts are all about hobbies/pastimes, like knitting, sewing, gardening, etc. I painted my little witch and her chunky cat, in a total yarn chaos.

A wet day. Don't know if it has anything to do with a changing weather and the atmospheric pressure, but I was feeling awful most of the day, with dizzy spells and nausea. Checked the blood pressure a few times, and it was high for me, though not dangerous, according to the online sources. 

Ordered McDonald's for my guys, as I could hardly move around, and ate a bit of soup myself. 

My rhododendron is beginning to bloom. Last year I hardly had any flowers, and this spring it is covered with blooms. It looks pretty with the raindrops.

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Photo diary: Project 365, weeks 15 and 16

Two weeks' lot from me today...

Not sleeping well recently, suffering with insomnia, checking the clock on the side table, oh, it's 2 o'clock, three, four, and I'm still tossing and turning. I've already cut down on the caffeine, only have a cup of coffee in the morning, and just herbal or decaf teas in the afternoon, and it doesn't seem to make any difference. 

It was a quick hail, hitting the garden ruthlessly. I was worried about my lovely tulips, and they did look a bit bedraggled afterwards.

I follow Sacla on Instagram, and saw that they've launched a new product - a lemon pesto. It's available in Waitrose, and I couldn't resist buying a jar. The colour is very pale, so it's hardly visible in the photo, but it's definitely there. Lovely lemony flavour, not too overwhelming. We enjoyed it, and it's something different from the classic pesto. 

A new cafe has opened in town, called Opera. I popped in to check if it'd possibly appeal to Sasha. The menu has some lovely things, sadly the seating looks very uncomfortable, with tables placed too close to each other and a few bar stools by the window. Knowing how Sasha likes to sit in comfy leather chairs, and not jammed between the other people, this will be a No-No from him. 

I did buy four cannoli with pistachio cream. By the time I grabbed my phone to take a photo at home, one of them has "mysteriously" disappeared. Holy cannoli!

I've been watching The Other Bennet Sister on BBC iplayer. Bought the book a few years ago, and still haven't had a chance to read it. Ella Bruccolleri's performance is nuanced and flawless. 

I liked that Mr Collins was portrayed sympathetically. I mean, he is an idiot, but a harmless one, and certainly not a villain. You actually feel sorry for him.

Lilac tree is in full bloom... I found a five-petal flower and ate it for good luck. 

Passing by the butcher's shop in the centre, I saw this board and chuckled at the ScorpiAn.

To paint young Merlin to illustrate a poem, I asked Eddie to pose for me with a towel wrapped round his head like a hood, and took a few photos while he patiently obliged me.

Accompanied my guys to the cafe, and laughed when I saw the design on the cappuccino. I mean, what the heck is that supposed to be? A candle?

Another day, another cafe, with a sad looking pup, wearing a backpack.

Our local yarn group has changed the postbox top again, this time it shows Care bears and a rainbow.

On Saturday Eddie and I went to Oxford, looking for a prom suit. We bought a suit all right, even if it costs an arm and a leg. As it's a slim fit, fingers crossed, he doesn't have a growth spurt until July.

We had a quick bite at Itsu, stopped at Uniqlo and TK Maxx. There is going to be a new Lego store open in May at West Gate centre, and I can't wait.

While at the centre, we visited a small art gallery with artwork by Bob Dylan. There are some striking prints, reminiscent of Hopper.

If I win a lottery, I would buy one of his prints.

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Photo diary: Project 365, weeks 11 and 12

 I keep telling myself, that I should do a short daily write up of what we've done, as then I forget, but it just never happens. Then when it's time to write the post, I stare at the photos, and try to remember, what was special about that day. The thing is every day is pretty much the same, apart from a few occasions.

And most days I am on an auto-pilot, looking after the family, cooking, doing the chores, reading, painting, chatting to my Mum online.

It's very pretty in town, with all the spring blossom.

Our darling Sasha turned 24, and I was very emotional, remembering the day he was born. It was such a tough day, and when I held him in my arms, I naively believed that the worst, most difficult, part was over, and everything would be fine from then all. In a way, it's a blessing, that most of us don't have a gift of seeing into one's future.

Sasha fancied a chocolate cake, as he kept showing me the picture of one in the Ocado food magazine. I bought a chocolate cake for him in M&S. Alas, it wasn't a big success. I think we'd go back to the Neapolitan three-layer cake I usually buy for my guys' birthdays.

I ordered a gift for Sasha's birthday at Next, which didn't arrive in time for his birthday (he had other presents too). When I went to collect it, I snapped a photo of a Hokusai hoodie, in case Eddie might fancy it, since he has a big poster of Hokusai's wave in his room. He wasn't interested.

I started reading Citizens by Simon Schama in early January, it was my big non-fiction project of the year. I read about 10-12 pages per day, and then escaped down the rabbit hole of Wikipedia, looking for more information and visuals. It took me over two and a half months to finish the book (there are about 800 pages). It's a great sense of achievement, I tell you that.

The book is a fountain of data. To start with, I wasn't overly keen on the style of writing, as Schama loves using obscure words, like picayune (he really likes this word, as he used it at least three times).

If you're not familiar with the topic, perhaps don't start with this book. It expects you to know about the main protagonists and events already. Saying that, the book gives a sense of drama and makes you think.

I was often left fuming over the unnecessary cruelty and pure savagery of the events. And it also shows that we really don't learn from the past.

Inspired by the book, I painted Marie Antoinette looking in the mirror, to see a vision of horror, her older self just before she is taken to the guillotine.

More of bloom in town. I love this magnolia hanging over the river.

Needed to go to the bank, when Sasha was out with his PAs, and my husband has enticed me into Huffkins cafe for a quick treat. He had a milkshake, and I had a cup of chai. We also shared a chocolate eclair.

Thankfully, the bank business didn't take long.

Looking at the bunches of spring flowers and pussy willow stems in Waitrose. Didn't buy any, but might treat myself for Easter. 

My older niece sent me a photo of my old Mama, reading to her great grandson. If only I could reach out and hug them both, my darlings.

Another non-fiction book I've been reading is Chronicles, volume one, by Bob Dylan. It truly is one of the best books I have been reading recently, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

It's not an auto-biography in a chronological sense. It is more of a story of who and what influenced his way of thinking and creating.

As a book lover myself, I enjoyed all the literature references and observations. Dylan's strength is his poetic descriptions of people and places. A couple of lines, and a person comes to life.

The book was published in 2004, and so far there is no volume two. I wonder if it's ever going to be written.

While reading, I dipped in and out of YouTube, listening to the songs he mentions. I enjoyed the back story fo the song Man in the long black coat, and wanted to paint young Bob.

I found it very tricky to capture his likeness.

Our local yarn bombing group keep changing their colourful displays to go with the seasons and occasions. For the coming Easter they knitted a vibrant scene, based on Beatrix Potter's tales.

We had a crafts fair in town on Saturday. I forgot all about it, until I accompanied Sasha and my husband to the cafe, left them there to enjoy their drinks and pastries and had a good rummage through the stalls.

I bought three jars of The Cherry Tree jam, a lovely homemade candle, and a vintage Scottish brooch/pin for my coat.

The Marriott's Walk, where the fair took place, is decorated with the colourful umbrellas.

What else did we do? We watched Dead Poets' Society with Robin Williams and very young Ethan Hawke, and The Martian with Matt Damon. Different genres and pace, and both brilliant.

Eddie went to see Project Hail Mary with his mates, and said it was even better than The Martian. I'll have to wait until it comes to one of the streaming channels, now that he has seen it, and I certainly don't fancy going on my own. 

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Photo diary: Project 365, week 10 2026

A bit of sunshine, but still wet wet wet... I managed to find a couple of rain-free slots to work in the garden, and filled in the green recycling bin. My hyacinths are not exactly a winning variety, quite straggly, with pieces chomped off by some mini bastards pests. Mum showed me the hyacinths she grows in pots at home, and hers look so much prettier.

On Monday morning, when Eddie left for school, and Sash was still asleep, I watched the finale episode of Call the Midwife. It was quite an emotional ending (won't be giving spoilers, in case you haven't watched it yet). 

It feels strange that there won't be new seasons with the same cast (I know that there is a prequel coming, which could be potentially interesting). I have watched this series for years. The first few seasons, based on the actual books, are better than the later ones. I guess Dr Turner is like a Marmite (not a fan myself), and I prefer episodes where he doesn't feature as heavily. 

Love this magnolia over the Windrush, it is so beautiful. The water has gone down, and hopefully soon it will be dry enough to walk through the fields.

After finishing the Japanese horror stories, I went back to Dick Francis. Reflex, as all books by the author, is pretty much horse world-related. The main protagonist, Philip Nore, is a jockey, with a career coming to the natural end on the horizon. He also enjoys photography, and is pretty good at it.

When a famous racing photograher dies, Philip discovers a set of files that has a dynamite potential for the racing world. He starts to deciper the photo puzzles and uncovers corruption on a grand scale.

Surely, this is not great literature, yet very readable and entertaining. I'm enjoying my Dick Francis' streak (fourth so far, and I have a couple more of his books to read).

I wanted to find an old blog post on my phone, and did a quick search for Chez Maximka, then saw what an AI wrote about my blog and laughed.

A small dog called Otis? Honestly?! We've never had a dog. Now I wonder whether we should get a dog and call him Otis so as not contradict the AI.

Inspired by the Japanese folk legends, I painted an illustration of a lady ghost floating among the falling snow. Mixed media: ink and watercolour on Moleskine paper.

It was a stormy night, and on Friday, while waving Eddie good bye, I realised the Virginia creeper on the front wall of the house, has fallen down. It was time to clear the debris anyway, so I worked for an hour outside, cutting away the old branches and sweeping the ground. Now it looks tidy. I did it just in time, as later it started raining quite heavily.

At some point, hanging the washing on the drying rack in the attic, I saw the rainbow. By the time I ran down and grabbed my phone, it has paled. 

More work in the garden. Saw these three ladybirds cuddled up together for warmth, or perhaps companionship.

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Photo diary: Project 365, week 9, 2026

 Oof and oof, what a stressful week it was...

It was my birthday on the last day of February, and we still had my birthday cake to polish off on Sunday the 1st. Only beautiful memories are left of the delicious red velvet sponge with chocolate cream.

For a whole week I was collaborating with Penandinkchallenge on Insta, with a list of prompts on the theme of Art Journal. I did my own seven drawings, commented on each post done by the inky community and also shared their artwork on stories. That was a full-time job (unpaid, I hasten to add).

My first prompt was Cherished Memory, and I did a sketch of little Eddie and my Mum playing football on the beach in Perranuthnoe all those years ago.

On Tuesday we had to travel to Banbury to see the anesthesist. It was rather a waste of time, as everything could have been perfectly discussed on the phone or online. It's not like Sasha was participating in the conversation. He was anxious and impatient to leave the doctor's office, my husband had to take him out for a walk around the hospital, and I stayed behind to talk it through. As predicted. I did ask them in advance if we could perhaps discuss it over the Zoom, but they insisted to see us in person. Sasha's presence there was purely nominal. They didn't check his weight or anything, and talked to us rather than to him for obvious reasons.

After the hospital visit, we popped into Coffee #1 for a quick drink.

Wednesday was the day I'd rather forget, it was so riddled with anxiety. Sasha was frustrated to travel to the hospital for the second day in a row. He was hungry as he wasn't allowed any food before the operation. He needed a dental procedure under general anesthetics. We waited for over an hour before anyone has seen us, by which time my boy was ready to climb the walls.

Once they started though, I couldn't fault them. The meds worked pretty fast, and soon he was taken away to an operating room for his procedure to be done. My husband and I waited in the separate room, went to have lunch in the hospital canteen. It was clean and had a good choice of hot and cold food. We had an omelette each, and it was delicious. I even went back to the chef to say how tasty it was, in fact better than we had in Paris. 

It took about two hours for everything to be done, and then we had to wait for Sasha to wake up. They let one of us stay with him, when it was clear he might be awake soon. It was quite scary to see my boy, who is always on the move, to be lying so still, with the oxygen mask on. 

We stayed for another couple of hours for him to get a bit more active, and got an Uber to travel back home. I was grateful that the operation went well, and that we had the option of staying in a separate room, without being bothered.

And then it was all about managing the pain relief medication for the next few days.

I took this photo on the way to Banbury, through the windows of the taxi. It was a misty morning. We went through some very pretty villages, though my mind was on the upcoming operation.

As one of Christmas gifts, I have subscribed to SnackVerse box for Eddie. It is supposed to be a selection of snacks from a different country each month. 

I subbed when they advertised the next box to be Japan (before Christmas). What we got though was Czech Republic, and they said Japan box was only for ad purposes. Very sneaky.

January box went awol. Evri claimed they delivered it, but they didn't have any proof photo, and at the time they said they did bring it in, we were all at home. I got a refund.

Then a few days ago I got a notification that February box was arriving, again with Evri. I knew we would be away in the hospital but there was no way to divert it or stop on the app. The box was left with the neighbours. When I picked it up, I realised it was already open, and most of the items except these three snacks were missing. Also the date on the box showed January. 

Where the heck has this box been hidden all this time, and who opened it? I contacted SnackVerse, they were not bothered, saying I got my refund anyway. 

I have cancelled my subscription. So, if you decide to subscribe to SnackVerse, do it at your own peril.

I understand that this is the first world problem, and ultimately totally insignificant. With all the worries we had in the last week, this hardly matters.

To coincide with my week of collaboration on Insta, and to cheer myself up after the hospital, I am running a stationery giveaway, including a set of Stranger Things stamps. There will also be a chocolate bar of the winner's choice.

Rather than post yet another drawing from my art week, here is a photo of the menu which my husband took on my request at the Founders' Feast in his college. I'm always fascinated by menus, and this one looked fabulous. He had a vegetarian meal.

After three Dick Francis' thrillers, I wanted to change to something different. Last week I went to the local library, and took out The Snow Ghost and Other Tales (Classic Japanese Ghost Stories). Supposedly these are the best and the scariest tales, though so far they read more like folk tales and legends, quite old-fashioned and hardly scary. Japanese horror could be quite creepy. This selection is a glimpse in the fascinating world of beliefs.

I was mostly influenced by the book cover design.

I have also finished listening to The Twisted Women's Book Club on Audible. Overall, it was entertaining (and just right for the ironing times), however, all the characters are so unpleasant and unrelatable. My new Audible book is Hart's Ridge by Kay Bratt (it was a free book). I'm only on chapter 3 and enjoying it.

As I usually have several books on the go, I'm still reading Citizens (about the French Revolution), tackling about a dozen pages per day. Hope to finish this educational project by the end of  this month.

How was your week?

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