Make your month colorful

Welcome back to another episode of A'lil Hoohaa's monthly photo blogging challenge. 

This month’s theme was "Make your month colorful".

On January 1, I was texting with a friend, and we agreed that in 2026 we wish for one thing above all: a good night’s sleep. How’s that for a resolution? Other than that, I don’t need any new ones. Last year’s are practically untouched.

Kidding aside, it never hurts to emphasize them, right? Drinking plenty of water and increase your veg & fruit intake is always a good thing. The kiwis you see here are home-grown by my SIL, I think it's pretty cool that she gets to harvest from her own back yard in Switzerland what others purchase imported from New Zealand. What the picture also represents is of course the color green and the fact that I cared enough to a) take a break on a Monday morning that came with a to-do list a mile long and b) I made it look pretty even though it was just for myself. You all know what I am talking about here....

I like that our theme is “Make your month colourful.” In April, that would be an easy assignment;  parks full of flowers, people shedding layers and wearing bright clothes. But January? In Switzerland, January is mostly gray. We were lucky enough to get some snow even in urban areas, but that raised the philosophical question: does white count as colorful?

While researching, I came across a large-scale street art project in Basel. It's located in the meatpacking district and was a part of a 2020 art event called  Change of Colors.

Left and right, people have been posting the most amazing pictures of the aurora borealis, and I'm over here, observing my regular bedtime. Instead here's a lovely, yet hazy, sunset.

It's been pretty cold this month, so forgive me for not spending too much time outdoors. At the mall there are a number of eateries. These colorful steps lead to an interesting combination of mainstream burgers and fried stuff on one hand, and authentic Thai kitchen on the other hand. Guess where I was headed.

Nature made two minutes of my month colorful! As had happened a few weeks earlier, I had broken off part of a tooth again and had to make a last-minute trip to the dentist. On the way there, I was surprised by this beautiful rainbow. 

The building you can see underneath is our state's penitentiary. It's where I get what we like to call "killer pies" every Wednesday: savoury and fruity pies, baked by inmates, once a week.

I found this month particularly hard for several reasons beyond my control, and this is why I am glad it's over. Here's to a more positive February. 

As always, don’t forget to check out the posts from my fellow bloggers participating in this month’s challenge!