parabolia reflections

because i couldn't find something elemental that fit

For the rest of the Periodic series;

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04/05/2026 - Hanwell

my plan for the day had been simple.

not do much, sleep, have some naps, generally recover from being too active on a (in my mind) too humid day yesterday. bed day basically.

i was working through the first nap of the day having gotten up to pee and eat some left over chicken.

my phone kept going off, wasn’t my alarm i slapped around until i found it, answered the call.

“hello?”

“caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay-leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee”

Agnieszka. of-fucking-course.

i don’t respond just put my phone on the side of my head, close my eyes and prepare to sleepily monosyllable through whatever the fuck this is and carry on executing business as usual.

“am outside”

tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap

i am now grumpy at the sound of someone’s fake nails tapping on my window.

“what?”

“bored, let me in?”

i made my first mistake of the day. i resigned myself to getting upright and letting Agnieszka in. it wasn’t without protesting, i tried, but eventually i threw a hoodie on over what passes for pyjamas at the moment and let her in staring daggers every second until i’m back in bed, i perch on the side and then decide it’s probably easier if i just let gravity win and ended up lying on my side still glaring at Agnieszka.

turns out she isn’t here because she’s worried about my recent isolative tendencies. oh no. she is legitimately bored and is dragging me out for a walk. as i’m getting dressed in actual clothes; because the last time i wore joggers Agnieszka bitched me out for the entire time, the plan develops, we are also going to the pub for lunch. i made my displeasure known, it was ignored, i had to put my face on and sort out my hair.

thanks.

Hanwell Flight - Hanwell

i haven’t been taking many photos of the canals recently, which is confusing since i like walking up and down them when time/light/rain permits, today was a good day, no wind and nothing to really disturb the surface of the canals. it wasn’t as busy as i’d imagined it either, given it’s a bank holiday monday. my headphones have been plucked out of my ears by Agnieszka’s insistent hand because i have to listen to the latest tiktok drama she’s either started/gotten involved with or is just throwing hands because as above. bored.

Jubilee(Hanwell) Meadows - Hanwell

i’d been down this way a few weeks ago when i was on a weeklong break, i hadn’t been able to explore much given the difficulties with my lower back and remaining vertical so i took my time today. Agnieszka wasn’t bothered she was happy just to natter away whilst i stopped every so often with my phone taking what enjoyment i could from this experience.

it’s quieter here, if you turn with your back to the canal’s you can easily forget you’re in London. the meadows smelled like flowers and i felt all my annoyance and frustration started to simmer down. also apparently i am not getting hay fever this year based on my current exposure to grass in may. fuck yes. will see how that develops further into summer. i didn’t need histamines last year (and suffered but it was manageable). am aware that’s not how hay fever actually works but i felt fine.

i really liked the little pink/purple flowers i found, no idea what they are, but they smelled nice.

Warren Farm Nature Reserve - Hanwell

the railway tracks are always interesting in these bits of London. technically according to google maps they finish up somewhere in Brentford, routing through Southall onto the main train tracks going from Ealing to Reading. (i think...reading railway tracks is not the same as looking at a next station map on a train.) had we not been in London and our presence anywhere else on a set of railway tracks through trespassing and causing a full city wide disruption event i would really like to have a wander down, there is a lot of signage to suggest it’s still used so maybe it’s just a small freight line.

as we entered the reserve it said stick to the paths because of birds nesting on the ground but there were no paths beyond smoothed sections of grass where people walk. Agnieszka however didn’t seem to feel that rule applied for her. can confirm we didn’t kill anything. i did try to see what was behind those metal fences but i’m too short even with jumping. i think it’s like an abandoned group of buildings judging by the amount of (REALLY FUCKING BAD SORRY NOTHING NOTEWORTH TODAY) graffiti. might come back with a small chair or something, or if no one is looking get under the fences and have a look. :3

Warren Farm Nature Reserve - Hanwell

firstly. fourth photo. there are rabbits there i promise, they are the weird grey brown smudges just off centre left. i got very excited that i’d seen them and tried to get a good photo, but they kept moving and refused to behave and my phones camera isn’t that great at 10x WHO KNEW. but i saw rabbits and that made my day >;3 the southern side of the reserve had these really interesting metal structures, which was weird given the tree’s going through them, there’s felt so maybe like ad hoc cricket nets? but there was no one in the reserve with us by this point, it was quiet, it smelled really nice and i just plopped down, fell back and closed my eyes. i got about five minutes of peace before Agnieszka was blowing dandelions into my face saying she wanted to eat.

fine.

Hanwell Flight, The Fox - Hanwell

wandering back to the canals returned us to family groups being loud and thankfully Agnieszka wanted to go The Fox which we frequent reasonably often, it’s a nice place and one i spent a lot of time at in my almost twenties huddled in their beer garden in the middle of winter with school friends smoking and shivering through our drinks. Its much nicer now and it was overcast but fine so beer garden again.

very healthy cider was had, straws obviously i have taste. Agnieszka took this opportunity with me eating to start telling me she’s started writing a book. love that for her, as i’m nodding along listening to idea keeping my mouth shut about this entire thing and my developing editorial skills she starts reading off from her draft off her phone, most of the time it’s her just laughing at her own writing which she thinks is funny. i thought my writing was minimalistic, nope Polish minimalism meets a slow burn romance that never actually happens because it’s deep, psychological, dramatic and all the characters are Myer Briggs assigned as literal archtypes but Agnieszka is already envisioning the fan fic culture writing the smut that she is clearly desperately wanting to read but refuses to write herself.

i have a copy of chapter one on my phone now. i have more questions then i’d like. A slow and tipsy mooch back up the canal, we got chased off by a pair of geese, they were staring at Agnieszka whilst i was setting up to take the photo because of course i’m going to take a photo of wildlife i can almost touch. then they just hop down and start advancing and there may have been screams…will not clarify. take what ever conclusions you want.

Agnieszka jumps on the E8 and i wander back to my flat. currently back in what is passing for pyjama’s wrapped in my soft throw blanket eating a bowl of krave as i type this out. i do resent being dragged out, but it was nice. i’ll protest harder next time.