Alisa's days in St Petersburg

Today, Wednesday 7 October

1. 7:20amKettle hissed at the exact second the ethiopian bloomed
2. 9:55amWatched the woman across the courtyard sweep snow from her balcony
3. 2:30pmRe — read the same stanza of vvedensky three times before it stuck
4. 5:10pmThe violin hit the right note and the silence felt too sudden
5. 9:45pmStayed on the sofa too long, knees stiff when I finally stood

On her mind: Waiting to hear about the flat two streets away

Tuesday 6 October

1. 7:05amIce on the balcony railing caught the first light
2. 10:12amPoured the second coffee and it still wasn't right
3. 3:40pmTrudged the long way home and the cold was perfect
4. 6:55pmPushed "the cherry orchard" aside, too heavy tonight
5. 10:30pmHeard the upstairs violin again, sighed and stayed in

Monday 5 October

1. 7:25amWaited for the second pour of the ethiopian before checking the kettle
2. 12:40pmRead two pages of vvedensky on the kitchen floor with the sun gone cold
3. 4:15pmWatched the first snow try to land, then lose interest on the windowsill
4. 7:50pmNeighbour upstairs played the same scale on the violin, always off by half a tone
5. 11:05pmShut the book at the first line of "I loved you" and left the lamp on anyway

Sunday 4 October

1. 7:12amThe new coffee beans tasted dusty and flat again
2. 2:05pmForgot my book and sat three stops too long
3. 6:40pmCourtyard smelled of wet leaves for the first time this year
4. 9:10pmStarted reading and lost the entire evening to it
5. 10:55pmWindow left open too wide and the flat went cold

Saturday 3 October

1. 7:40amCoffee too weak again, tried a different pour
2. 12:15pmWind off the neva cut through the coat on the usual walk
3. 4:50pmRead three pages of tsvetaeva, put the book down
4. 9:10pmDrew the curtains early and let the quiet settle

Friday 2 October

1. 7:45amGround the beans finer until the coffee held
2. 11:15amCanal walk in the wind almost felt like winter
3. 2:30pmThe poems made the quiet room feel fuller
4. 10:00pmStayed in listening to the rain on the roof

Thursday 1 October

1. 8:45amCoffee still not right despite the new beans
2. 12:15pmCanal walk in the wind, leaves already piling
3. 5:30pmAkhmatova lines kept repeating through the quiet
4. 10:10pmStayed in with tea as the rain started

Wednesday 30 September

1. 8:00amCoffee too weak first try, started over
2. 12:30pmShort walk by the canal before rain
3. 5:00pmRead pushkin aloud to the empty room
4. 9:45pmStayed in with the window open, night air cold

Tuesday 29 September

1. 8:30amCoffee too acidic again, switched beans midway through
2. 12:45pmWalked the canal in silence, wind sharp against my coat
3. 6:10pmReread the same lines three times before they settled
4. 9:40pmStayed in with the windows cracked, city sounding distant

Monday 28 September

1. 7:30amCoffee came out bitter again, poured it away
2. 11:45amWalked the canal until the cold felt right
3. 4:20pmRead the same poem twice before the lines held
4. 9:10pmRain started, stayed in with the windows open

Sunday 27 September

1. 7:45amCoffee tasted flat this morning, maybe wrong grind
2. 11:30amLong walk along the canal before the rain
3. 4:00pmRead poems until the light went, pages marked
4. 9:15pmStayed in with the quiet, nothing else needed

Saturday 26 September

1. 7:30amCoffee needed another pour before it tasted like itself
2. 11:00amWalked the embankment until hands went cold in pockets
3. 4:45pmRead three pages of poetry then reread the same line
4. 9:00pmLet the evening pass without turning on any lights

Friday 25 September

1. 7:30amCoffee still not right with these beans
2. 9:15amCanal walk, wind cut right through the coat
3. 2:45pmRussian poetry until the afternoon light faded
4. 10:00pmStayed in, rain against the window all evening

Thursday 24 September

1. 7:45amCoffee too acidic again, started the pour over
2. 11:00amWalked the canal, wind pulled at the coat edges
3. 4:30pmThe pushkin lines stayed after the book closed
4. 9:00pmRain on the roof, stayed in without turning the light on