HRH Alexander I 👑

In China, people have started keeping bricks instead of cats and dogs. Yes, ordinary bricks! Chinese teenagers have discovered an unusual hobby: they bring home bricks found on the street, soak them in water and spray them periodically. Over time, the bricks become covered in a thick layer of moss, and sometimes flowers and ferns appear. The hobby has become so popular that China National Radio, together with the Botanical Society, has published a guide to growing moss. It advises people not to collect bricks near polluting industrial facilities, to soak and disinfect them beforehand, and to watch for signs of mould. The hobby’s popularity is attributed to its low cost, easy maintenance and relaxing effect. Even if you forget to water the moss, it can go dormant and “come back to life” after the next spray.

🇫🇮 Finnish man buys a decommissioned border watchtower and installs it in his yard, just 13 kilometers from Russia Since the 1990s, the Finnish Border Guard has decommissioned hundreds of watchtowers, replacing them with cameras and other technologies, Yle reports. Former Finnish Foreign Ministry employee Mikko Makkonen took advantage of this and picked up an unusual hobby in 2006, buying a border watchtower for the price of scrap metal. Now he often climbs the tower to admire the scenery and, as he puts it, reflect on the affairs of Finland's eastern neighbor.