The first taste of summer

Hello lovelies!

I know it’s been quite some time since I last wrote anything on this blog and I cannot but tell you that I’ve been thinking about this with some guilt; but then, what’s the point of pushing oneself towards something that’s supposed just to be relaxing and fun and soul softening. So I waited for the right time.

And that’s the right time indeed. I’ve looked at my calendar this morning and realised that it’s already the end of July, oh goodness me, the biggest part of summer is over and I’m still at the office, patiently waiting for the Frog’s family official holiday season, which is yet to come. However, the past days were not empty of summer mood, small escapes from the city and sea (ah, the sea); on the contrary.

By the end of June, we’ve had a long weekend by the sea, combined with a party invitation, to celebrate the namegiving of a baby girl; and though the weather back then wasn’t the perfect summery one, just to be on a ship sailing to an island, wearing a crochet shawl and gazing at the seagulls was more than enough, for me at least.

This weekend had some quiet time as well, when the Little Ladies of the pond were swimming and Mr. BeardMan was staying alone reading his books; I sat on the hotel’s porch, the sky was grey, the smell of the grass and the nearby sea was mesmerizing and the feeling of inner peace was doubled by the rhythmical crocheting of yet another shawl.

And we have been rewarded by one hot day, full of sun and calm waters and we all stayed at the beach for hours, swimming, reading, drinking cold coffees and eating cherries from a bag. Bliss

The party decoration was all about flamingos, which I knew well in advance by looking at the invitation I’ve received;

so I thought that a crochet flamingo would be the perfect gift for the baby girl of our friends. It has taken me a while to settle on a pattern; hmm, actually I’ve never settled on a pattern. I picked bits and pieces of ideas from several photos I’ve found online and started to make a pink bird of my own. Which, as you may imagine, was harder than usual, with lots of trial and error and heavy remorse for not keeping notes while crocheting the first leg and then having to reinvent the wheel during the second one 🙂

But the end result was good and Flo the flamingo was born and gifted with great a pleasure to Marina, the baby girl. And I was happy.

Life then followed its usual path, I was quite busy at the office, with foreign colleagues visiting and us having to be with them all day long and work long hours; but this also included dinner at a splendid place with a view on the Acropolis, so this made up for the effort.

And then it was time for the house to slowly empty. Mr. BeardMan packed his trekking equipment and left home for a three weeks wandering in some high European mountains and the Little Misses of the pond packed their bags and moved to my paradise along with my mum.

I have been left home alone, to juggle between work and an empty house and escape to the paradise just for the weekends. Better than nothing, eh?

I’ve still got two weeks to go before holidays and it’s those weekends that keep me up and running and smiling and patiently waiting… well, not exactly patiently. After all, patience was never my strong point.

But, crocheting at the porch of my paradise wearing my swimming suit and looking at the sea, my sea, gives me breath; happiness is always just a breath away.

Hope life is treating you well and a bright smile is brightening your faces.

Froggy kisses from the pond

xxx