Summertime, and the living is easy

Or so the song goes. I know there are many people who think that because we live on a sunny island we’re at the beach at all hours of the day. The reality is very different for all those who, like ne, need to be at the office for  8-9 hours every day. That really doesn’t leave much free time for fun and games. Every year I usually make a long list of plans for the summer months and usually end up disappointed and frustrated because very few, if any of them, actually come to fruition. So this year I have decided to err on the side of caution and have made no plans at all. No plans, except to live in the moment and embrace the slow-living concept that I have slowly been trying to adopt since the beginning of the year.

Summer makes some things simpler. The heat makes slowing down a necessity and the odd nap or two does everyone a world of good. But apart from the obvious, I want to slow down in all aspects:

make time for a few picnics on a {preferably secluded} beach;

swim until my skin turns wrinkly;

catch a few sunsets;

read, and read some more;

eat more salads and fruit and turn the stove and oven off for a few weeks;

catch up with friends I haven’t seen for a while;

start journaling again ( I have sorely neglected my journal this year);

organise a back-yard barbecue (or two or three) because everything tastes better when it’s grilled.

And despite my refusal to make plans, there are still a few events that I am looking forward to and hope not to miss:

- the total lunar eclipse on July 27th. There’s an event being organised by the Astronomical Society of Malta that will take place at Fort St Elmo (Valletta). Telescopes will be available for those attending to take a peek at the moon and at the planet Mars, that will be at the closest point to Earth in its orbit. If it gets too crowded at the fort, we will take our own little telescope somewhere a little quieter.

- the Malta Craft Beer  Festival that will take place between 24-26 August, also at Fort St Elmo. This is more up my husband’s street but I don’t mind drinking the odd beer every now and then.

- a visit to one of Malta’s most spectacular Neolithic sites: the Hypogeum. The Hypogeum dates back to 4000BC. It is a subterranean burial site on three levels that was used over a span of 1500 years.

- a trip to a country that I’ve been longing to visit since I was very little. More on that later.

And that pretty much sums up my summer. I will not be taking a blogging break if I can help it but may write shorter posts, depending on my mood. I know how hard it can be to sit and read when there are so many distractions calling our name. Wishing you all a wonderful summer and hoping that the sun will be kind and cool winds will blow.