2019 - end-year musings

As the end of the year draws near, high time for summaries and reflections spurred by the recent months.

The first quarter of the year was marked by refurbishment and furnishing the flat. Nine months after moving in, I feel well this is my place on earth. The drawback of such positive vibes associated with the dwelling will be the unease to move out of there one day.

The major event in the second quarter were exacerbating problems with the lumbar spine which ended up with a fortnight spent on intensive recovery, which, along with continuous exercising, have proven to help me pull through.

In the third quarter I had to face up to a tough challenge at work. The task was stressful, time-consuming and though worth being described on the blog, for the sake of confidentiality, I have held back on it. It was one of those things that could have killed me, but eventually have made me stronger.

In the fourth quarter I set out to fulfil my dream from last year and decided to commit much of my money, spare time and courage to help those worse off. It has paid back with good energy and has become made me yearn for more.

The entire year was marked by my growing awareness of the climate change, its severe implications and mankind’s impact on the global warming. After the hottest June since records began and after the warmest fourth quarter of the year since records began (October being the third warmest, November the second warmest and December on track to be the third warmest), one witnesses figures backing the climate change.

Every individual has responsibility to slow down this process, and just like in elections in which every vote counts, any (positive) change matters. In contemplating how one can influence the global warming I distinguish some key areas.

Firstly, how one heats one’s household. Here much needs to be done and is being done of the levels of central and local governments. The authorities need to support financially (with a carrot) those who need to replace their smog-generating incinerators with civilised furnaces running on natural gas, but also have to crack down (with a stick) on those who keep on burning rubbish and whatever cheap stuff to heat their houses.

Secondly, how one travels. The biggest detriment is caused by short-distance flying, which I have committed to shun as much as possible (though I may happen to repeat it, if I am forced to keep company to one of senior executives who do not stoop so low to take a train). The second biggest damage to air pollution is caused by short-distance car trips around town. I have nearly completely given up on driving below 10 kilometres (such is the distance to my parents’ house) and if I drive around town, my destinations are difficult to be reached by public transport (door-to-door journey several times longer) or when something heavy lands in my boot. Public transport and bicycle are a solution in over 90% of circumstances.

Thirdly, by one’s choices as a consumer. Here the 5R rule applies. Think before you buy an item and consider whether you really need it. Once you buy something, take care of it and use for as long as possible. Replace when an item wears down, not when your get bored of it and hanker after something brand new. Cut down on use of disposable items. Be sensitive to how stuff is packaged. I can proudly say my one-person household produces these day one 35-litre bag of litter per 3 days. Besides, I get along with life without material whims.

Fourthly, what one eats. Next year will be the time on cutting back on meat consumption, though with no intension of becoming a vegetarian.

Fifthly, be aware with making choices and mind the greenwashing. The best example of greenwashing observed by me in 2019 was my own employer, taking pride in replacing its entire fleet with hybrid Toyotas (each to be replaced by a brand-new one after mere two years of 60,000 kilometres). I have driven those cars and travelled on board of them as a passenger around town and I am more than disillusioned. Brushing driving impressions (I honestly dislike it) aside, I am deeply dissatisfied with its economics. Fuel consumption (I am writing now about hybrid Corolla sedan with 1.8 engine) of around 5 – 6 litres per 100 km in town (as much as a frugal, small petrol-run car would do and compares to my car with would consume 8 litres per 100 km) and above litres per 100 km on motorway (tempomat set at 140 kmph) which is far more than my car, which would gulp also around 8 litres at such speed, has little to do with stopping smog!

The hybrid vehicles are good for people who drive a lot around town as part of their profession (taxi drivers, couriers delivering parcels or whatever else, cable TV guys, etc). Other car users should rather be encouraged not to use cars around town rather than switching into cars which have their batteries charged from fume-producing engines. After doing a research I would not buy a hybrid car with my driving profile. Firstly, they have no advantage (to put it bluntly, perform inferiorly) in long-distance trips (2/3 of my yearly mileage), secondly they do not endure well frequent periods of sitting idle for a few days (my car generally sits in the garage over the working week).

Summing up, next year I see myself following the guidelines helping me preserve the planet, yet reasonably, without going into extremes, meaning not giving up on effects of technological progress at any price.

Wintry Christmas? No such luck!

Each single advertisement and each (with some exceptions) film whose plot plays out in Christmas period is set in a scenery of bright, snowy, often sunny winter. This has little do with actual weather…

But shapes our expectations…

 …which hardly stand confrontation with the reality.

 I have taken the trouble to find out how many of Christmas Eves between 1951 and 2019 (69 years, with firm forecasts of late autumnal weather I can fairly add this year’s Christmas Eve to the sample) when reliable and precise weather measurements have been taken and are publicly available were wintery. I define winter (hereinafter proper winter) as day-time high below 0C and at least 1 centimetre of snow lying on the ground. Out of 68 Christmas Eves, only on 13 (1953, 1956, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1986, 1990, 2001, 2002, 2003), i.e. less than one in five Christmas Eves one could enjoy proper winter in Warsaw.

I have also collected detailed data for my lifetime and have broken them down into 4 categories, taking into account combinations of two features of winter conditions: sub-zero temperature and snow. I define:

- snowy as at least 1 centimetre of snow lying on the ground,

- frosty as day-time high below 0C,

- thaw and frost-free as day-time high equal to or higher than 0C,

- melting snow as at least centimetre of snow lying on the ground, but disappearing on account of positive temperature,

- without snow and snow-free as no snow falling or lying on the ground or sleet or snow falling, yet melting instantly or soon after reaching the ground.

Snowy and frosty (i.e. proper winter): 1990, 2001, 2002, 2003.

Thaw, melting snow: 2010, 2012.

Frosty, without snow: 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2007.

Frost-free, snow-free: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

In my lifetime, 4 out of 33 Christmas Eves brought proper winter, the last one was witnessed 16 years ago (and was third subsequent one).

Interestingly, in my childhood quite common were frosty (frequently with double-digit negative temperatures) yet snow-free Christmas Eves.

In 2010 and 2012 the weather was particularly cruel, as Christmas thaws were just interludes in cold and snowy Decembers.

This year’s December is the seventh warmer-than average December in a row. Until today there was no snow, nor sleet in Warsaw, nor a day with maximum temperature below 0C, so my annual winter timeline has not been launched. The coming days are to bring colder and gloomier weather, with rain showers, typical for late autumn. Some of long-term forecasts hint at odds of a sleet or melting snow in the last days of December, yet I believe we will wait for the onset of proper winter until January.

In a rush

A pile-up of work-related emergency (end-year period far busier and abundant in tribulations than usual), pre-Christmas, birthday-related (guests paying a visit today) and manifold other hustle holds me back from writing. Keep yourselves warm!

Szlachetna Paczka

Abroad, especially in the Anglo-saxon circle, giving donations to charity is one of methods of underlining one’s social status. There is something hypocritic about it and it seems helping the disadvantaged in a secondary goal. Nevertheless, despite its roots and drivers, the system of transfers from the richer part of the society to foundations and other organisations taking care of those not better off does function.

In Poland this is still in the making; few people engage in charity, though many I know do it without boasting of it. Still a wealthy Pole is usually a child of not necessarily wealthy parents and most likely a grandchild of not wealthy grandparents. Thus Poles are focused on feathering their own nests, according to my observation, revel in lavish, reckless consumerism (recent blekfrajdej being a glaring example of what I detest).

I believe once you a reach a certain status of comfortable affluence (i.e. you have bought yourself all stuff you need to have your basic needs met and have put aside money for a rainy duty, it is your duty not just to be a decent citizen to pay taxes and share your income via official redistribution system, but also to share your wealth voluntarily. I am ashamed I have realised it quite late, i.e. after buying my dreamt-up flat from money scrimped and saved over eight years spent in a corporation. Currently, I with no desire to move to a posher property, nor planning purchase of a new car, no prospects of raising a family in near future, I can put aside, not holding myself back from spending money on whatever infrequent whims I have, a five-digit or six-digit amount of PLN (depending on how generous a yearly bonus is) for no specific purpose. I feel no temptation to splurge this money foolishly, but I have felt a strong desire to share it without who cannot even dream of affluence I have.

Last year, while being in the middle of the time-consuming flat refurbishment, I donated a rather small amount of money to Szlachetna Paczka. This year, apart other activities, I have decided to sacrifice my time and buy “components” of the gift package and raise money for the initiative via facebook. I have joined a team run by my friend within a company she works for (a Polish subsidiary of a multinational FMCG distributor). The group of 110 was preparing gift packages for 7 families from Płońsk region. A sizeable venture, with 3 core co-ordinators, and several line co-ordinators, including me, responsible for collecting sorted stuff for one of families and packaging). The very process of collecting the package from a heap of stuff accumulated for 7 families is an exercise in logistics. It took four hours of physical work yesterday, but all in all has eventually come out smoothly.

Today my friend, her husband, their friend and his daughter and I oversaw packing gift boxes to a lorry and we drove to Płońsk. Out of 7 families 4 had agreed to meet representatives of the donors, therein I visited 2: a lonely middle-aged man, who has slid into poverty after his wife’s death out of passiveness and a marriage bringing up five children. The very experience is still to fresh to put it in words; my musings on the way back to Warsaw was that the poverty does not creak / shriek as the Polish saying bieda aż piszczy goes. It either screams or stays silent. I have resolved to support Szlachetna Paczka with my money and time. Very few people who take it up later give it up and I will not be in the minority.

What’s wrong with the average

November 2019, with mean temperature of +6.3C has gone down in the history as the warmest November in Warsaw after WW2 and second-warmest since records began, after November 1926 when temperature averaged out whopping +7.5C and ahead of November 1928 with average temperature of +6.2C.

For the sake of statistics, since the recent month will not become a part of the tenth edition of the renowned winter timeline:

- month-time high: +16.5C on 4 November 2019 (almost 3 degrees below last year’s record of November heat)

- month-time low: –4.7C on 1 November 2019 (was a frosty night, followed by nearly 3 weeks of above-average warmth),

- the warmest day: 4 November 2019 (daily average of +13.5C, typical late September’s weather, though windy),

- the coldest day: 23 November 2019 (daily average of –0.2C, technically a one-day thermal winter).

Also for the record, several trees, including birches, poplars, maples and willows have not shed their all leaves.

If you look at the graph showing average temperatures of Novembers in Warsaw in 21^st century against long-term average, you can see only 4 out of 19 Novembers were below the average, therein 3 less than 1 Celsius degree below it. For the sake of clarity, in Polish climatology, the average temperature is based on recent finished full three decades, hence the frame of 1981-2010 currently serves as basis for what could be considered “normal”.

Another graph compares mean temperatures of specific months in 2019 against long-term average. As it turns out , May was the only month this year with temperature below average (by 0.5C degree), while January and July were just above the average (respectively by 0.1C and 0.2C degree). 2019 is bound to go down as the warmest year in Poland since records began…

…And will beat the record set by 2018, when only February and March brought below-average temperatures, while other months were substantially warmer than historically, including especially two spring months the warmest since records began: April 2018 (mean temperature of +13.6C, beating the record of +13.5C from April 1918) and May 2018 (mean temperature of +18.2C, above May 1937 when temperature averaged out +17.8C).

While CEE countries experienced a balmy late autumn, the Western part of Europe was shivering (for around two weeks temperature in Warsaw was constantly higher than in Madrid), Venice was plagued by the most horrible flood since decades, snow fell in mountain areas of North Africa and northern Scandinavia experienced the heaviest early-November snow (nearly one metre) since 1922. The bill for our warmth was paid in other parts of the planet; unsurprisingly, since the global warming exacerbates imbalances in the atmosphere and conceivably in a year or two we might be hit by an onslaught of winter in mid-November.

I also wondered how switching to a refreshed long-term average in 2021, i.e. replacing 1981-2010 with 1991-2020 timeframe would impact “normal” mean temperatures and here comes the comparison (with averages based on 1991-2019 data). The green spots referring to the right axis show the temperature increase. Sadly, the biggest warming is observed in summer months (June and August) when heat is the hardest to withstand and through energy-consuming use of cooling systems intensifies the process of warming. Besides, many colder months have become on average milder, i.e. November, February and December. Interestingly, average temperature of October would rise by merely 0.1 degree and this is despite the string of 3 warm Octobers since 2017.

While around autumn the oncoming winter was predicted to be the mildest ever, in the recent (issued a week ago or so) long-term forecast of the Polish Met Office only December 2019 is to be warm. Polish forecasters predict January 2020 and February 2020 will bring proper winter, including snow and double-digit frosts, while mean temperature of March 2020 will be close to long-term average.

Cable TV

Cable TV and broadband internet connection were the last missing stuff in the flat, over half a year after moving in. In the spring and summer months, when outdoor beckoned and time spent indoor in the evenings and over weekends was sparse, my low demand for such services was giving an excuse to put back installation. Hence I have got my act together to fix it just recently.

After a research done over a year ago I thought I would opt for Vectra, which was the previous owner’s operator, yet on the home straight I have taken the trouble to compare pricing of plans, content of packages and technical capacities and I have changed my mind to eventually choose UPC. The crucial factor, with similar prices of TV + Internet plans (same cost of PLN 80 per month) and similar content thereof, was technical advantage of UPC, whose CI+ modules (I refused to have another box and another remote control) are compatible with most new TV sets. On top, the operator puts on its website a list of certified TV models.

The very installation, though booked and specified in the e-mail sent UPC sales rep over 2 weeks in advance, has not gone smoothly. I endured three visits over one day. At first attempt a technician came with a decoder rather than with a CI+ module. At second attempt another technician turned up without documents. At third attempt all went fine, except for the way he installed (or rather hung loose) antenna socket in the wall (not his duty) – this had to be mended by me a few days later, upon borrowing a driller from my father (what’s the point of having my own if use it 2 o 3 times a year?).

While I saved on a few months of not paying at all for the TV + Internet (I used a data package from my company smartphone via Wi-Fi router or fell back on pre-paid LTE), my monthly rate is now higher (some PLN 20 per month) than it would be, had I contracted the service in a few months ago. Telecommunication services are one of those whose prices have risen markedly in 2019.

A broadband Internet is a must, especially if you want to make the most of video / audio contents (mere Youtube offers several full films or series for free) available online, but also to pursue home office if necessary. Benefits of possessing the cable TV are questionable. I over the recent 3 weeks I watched a few documentaries, films or TVN24 evening programs but nothing more.

Choosing a TV (I purchased 43-inch plain-vanilla, yet UPC-compatible LG for PLN 1,400) has made me realise what stride has been made technology-wise. The relatively inexpensive (yet prices 2 times higher than the simplest) TV set combines functions of a TV, a decoder, a video player / recorder and a computer (Internet browser built it). One thing I need to explore is Netflix which has a dedicated button on the remote control. But since I have not had an account on my computer, odds I get to grips with it before year-end are miniscule.

Film-wise, last Wednesday I went to a cinema to see “Boże Ciało” before it is withdrawn from the silver screens. I do not feel like reviewing it; the film deserves watching, but it has left me numb in a chair…

The post-election landscape

The opposition’s victory in the Senate election is a combination of (a stroke of) luck and (leaders’) judgement. The strategy to run united in most constituencies has paid off and so far has stood the test of time. PiS, despite numerous attempts to buy off upper house deputies has not managed to undercut the frail (one seat) majority (this does not mean we can be confident no traitor flees the camp of anti-PiS in coming months). The inability of the ruling party to come to terms with the result of the election proves its latent anti-democratic character, while the track record of senators from KO, Lewica and PSL proves the selection of candidates was careful.

The big test for the unity of the ruling coalition (remember PiS has created a government together with its allies from Solidarna Polska and Porozumienie). The latter grouping, whose leader is Mr Gowin, disapproves of the government’s plan to scrap the limit of 30 average salaries above which social security contributions are no longer charged (to avert payments of sky-high pensions in decades). The desperate endeavour to raise more money to the 2020 budget at the expense of next generations is widely criticised, yet no one can be confident whether Mr Gowin finally gives in, or what stance Lewica takes on it (they are about to announce their strategy tomorrow). While Mr Gowin has track record for voting for law he was unhappy with, Lewica has a test to pass to prove they are a responsible, forward-looking leftist party. Sufficient would be their proposal to bring in another tax bracket for the richest (tax progression is a natural element of a leftist agenda) and firm refusal to support solutions which create huge obligations in decades to come.

Disclaimer: the author is materially affected by the “30 wages limit”, hence he refrains from commenting any further on the issue.

Another test for the opposition is the presidential election, due in six months. Donald Tusk has already dispelled all doubts and has quit the fight for presidency. Some say, probably rightly, he fears a defeat with a mediocre incumbent president which is highly probably due to strong negative electorate Mr Tusk has on account of his unpopular decisions. I believe the move is wise and boosts changes to change the resident of the presidential palace.

From the 3 oppositional parties only PSL has chosen their candidate. In the first round I would not vote for Mr Kosiniak-Kamysz, as his views, especially social ones, do not square with mine.

Lewica keeps struggling to find a candidate (who will rather be a male), yet among their core politicians I do not see any charismatic character who would be capable of making it to the run-off.

Koalicja Obywatelska, with clear declaration of Mr Tusk now is about hold an internal election and let its member choose the most suitable runner. Two candidacies which are now present in the social media are Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska and Radosław Sikorski. The former lacks charisma and drive to take part in the difficult race in which blows below the belt will be frequent. The latter, as a minister is PiS government in 2005-2006 enchanted with late president Lech Kaczyński, lacks strong anti-PiS credentials which seem necessary to garner votes of leftist voters who must not stay at homes during the run-off if Mr Duda’s re-election is to be averted.

In May 2020 I will end up, again, voting for the lesser of two evils.

For the sake of safety…

Sunday, 20 October, early afternoon, the other end of Warsaw. A 33-year-old man with his wife and child cross ul. Sokratesa to get to a nearby playground. The man is killed by a 31-year-old male, driving 130 kmph in his orange BMW. A dashboard camera from a city bus recorded the tragedy (0:15).

 

The accident has sparked off a debate how to improve safety on Warsaw’s roads, especially pedestrians’ safety, to take the extra mile to reduce the number of fatalities in the capital. The town hall officials have come up with setting up “30 kmph zones” across town, which stirred uproar with motorists.

The tragedy is incontestable, however I believe the discussion on exact solutions aimed at improving road safety should be freed from emotional overtone, inevitable in such circumstances. Especially bearing in mind no regulations will prohibit road hogs behind wheels of too powerful vehicles from speeding.

The town hall has compiled a list of dangerous streets in Warsaw where traffic ought to be slowed down. One of them is ul. Stryjeńskich in Ursynów, especially its section between ul. Belgradzka and ul. Przy Bażantarni (photo on the front cover of the most recent “Passa” local newspaper) where drivers dare to speed up to even 80 kmph.

Oddly enough, in 2016 civic budget an initiative to narrow the street down from 4 to 2 lanes in both directions and mark off cycling paths was one of the winning ones. Soon later, the citizens with support of the district’s mayor have dashed the plan.

Is the street dangerous? I witnessed the last accident there last month, when 3 cars collided and some of the passengers were injured, but this was the only collision since I moved in. The enquiry to the search engine reveals a serious accident is reported on the aforementioned section of ul. Stryjeńskich on average once a year, however pedestrians were involved in none of the accidents.

Recently mayor of Ursynów has put forward installing speed bumps to slow down the traffic. The idea has taken nearly no one’s fancy, including local residents (who say more systemic solutions ought to be considered) and the City Road Authority (reminding ul. Stryjeńskich is a G-category road, i.e. a main road / thoroughfare, therefore it is not permitted to install speed bumps there, at least without changing the road’s status).

I believe there are several better ways of calming down the traffic, with narrowing down lanes as the primary one. If a lane is narrower, a driver naturally reduces speed to stick onto the lane. As lanes are narrower, the northbound and southbound lanes should finally be separated and junctions with minor roads (ul. Jaworowa, ul. Małej Łąki) properly marked.

Traffic should definitely be slower, yet it should be smooth. A speed bump reducing temporarily speed to 30 kmph means motorist would decelerate ahead of it and accelerate after it. Everyone who has some notion about driving knows a vehicle consumes more fuel when it accelerates and less when it moves at steady speed. So what ought to be done on major roads is adjusting them to lower, yet reasonable steady speeds rather than putting on the table poorly analysed solutions on the spur of the moment.

Looking forward to seeing no more accidents on this stretch of ul. Stryjeńskich.

A balmy October

Folk sayings tell after a hot summer comes a harsh winter. While the coming winter is expected to be one of the mildest ever, autumn in 2019 stands a chance to be one of the warmest ever, also after the very warm October.

This year’s summer, especially the record-hot June has made be pondered upon the detrimental effects of the global warming, which make themselves felt dreadfully in summer months. A heat wave in June, July or August is a misery, but in October… Paradoxically over a fortnight long influx of Saharian air over Poland has generally been appreciated as the advent of grey, chilly autumn has been put back.

After two weeks of unusual warmth one could wonder whether October 2019 would go down as the warmest in the history. Had the entire month been as warm as its second decade and first seven days of its third decade, it would have come out record-hot. However because of the two cold spells, one in the first decade, the other in the last days of the month, it ranked as third-warmest, with average temperature of +11.2C. It was much warmer in October 1907 (+12.9C) and in October 2000 (+11.6C). Plus the recent October was the third one in a row with double-digit average temperature.

Some statistics, since I adore to back all my assertions with numbers:

- month-time high: +24.3C on 14 October 2019 (short of heat record in October for Warsaw, +25.9C set on 5 October 1966),

- month-time low: -1.8C on 31 October 2019,

- the warmest day: 13 October 2019, on the election day the daily temperature averaged out +17.1C, as warm as usually in the third decade of August,

- the coldest day: 31 October 2019, mean temperature of only +2.7C, typical for second decade of November…

On 14 October I took a day off to make the most of the summer-like warmth and to cool down after the election. After a lunch at noon, I took a bike for a 35-kilometre ride. To the right, 2 p.m., temperature peaks at +24C, plenty of sunshine. Few people on the western bank of Vistula, those who could be found there roamed around or sunbathed. Of note is the fact exactly 10 years earlier, on 14 October 2009, Warsaw was hit by snow.

Looking south, spans which will carry the Southern Bypass of Warsaw over Vistula. The delay in works has reached around one year and the entire bypass stands a chance to be completed nor earlier than in mid-2021. By that time the southern part of Ursynów will need to endure the nearly constant road congestion which actually helps me drive as little as I can (4,500 kilometres driven since moving in, which includes three long trips of approximately 2,500 kilometres in total which means I have reduced around-town mid-distance driving to less than 300 kilometres per month).

To the right – view atop the flood embankment along ul. Wał Zawadowski. The sky was clear, azure, the leaves on most tress still green. The only missing piece was a coal train, however with low heat generation on the day, odds of spotting one were naturally lower.

Having ventured riverside, I cycled south. The snap taken on one of the oldest and widest cycle paths in Warsaw, along ul. Przyczółkowa. I confess I took this photo in motion. Fiery colours of autumn taking over, illuminated by still strong sunlight.

I passed the construction site of the Southern Bypass of Warsaw, on the junction with ul. Przyczółkowa. At this very spot works seemed quite advanced, but after over a year and half, completion loomed far ahead.

Further, I took a stopover at leisure park in Powsin and pedalled on west. Here, a snap taken from a middle of a field on the southern edge of Las Kabacki. Majority of trees were still in leaf. Looking at the photo, if I were to guess the day of year when it was taken, I would bet on 20 September.

Back home, at quarter past four, back then of daylight saving time. A view from my living room (and from my balcony), looking west-south towards the forest. This view from the window was one of the reasons I was damn determined to get into possession of my current flat.

Same view, five days later, i.e. on Saturday (19 October) morning. Mist hovering in the distance, trees have shed some leaves, yet after a brisk morning came another anomalously warm (as for second half of October) day.

Another snap, taken another week later, on Saturday, 26 October. Day-time high of +19.2C, my probably last bike ride this year. The ground covered with fallen leaves, chilly wind taking a gloss off warmth. Summer was visibly fading.

More than 10 kilometres south, ponds in Zalesie Dolne, in the distance tracks of Warsaw – Radom railway line. I cycled south to Zalesie Górne to take a train to W-wa Dawidy (and make use of my travelcard valid outside Warsaw) before it got dark (and before clocks went backward).

At the end, 3 snaps from Friday’s afternoon walk. The weather has changed last Sunday within a few hours. All Saints’ Day was sunny, but chilly. Day-time high was +7C. I strolled to a meadow on the northern verge of Las Kabacki, west of ul. Moczydłowska, my magical hangout. In the distance, residential blocks of Kabaty…

A field of cabbage by ul. Moczydłowska makes me wonder who cultivates arable land which is worth millions. I estimate the entire area covered with unharvested cabbages could be sold of eight-digit sum… Unless proximity to the forest hinders obtaining a planning permission these days…

At the end of my walk, I scrambled up Górka Kazury, to observe the sunset. Sadly, the sky had clouded over, yet I resolved to revisit the place with a camera on a sunny afternoon in weeks to come and catch the sun going down beyond Las Kabacki.