Staycation

Two months ago I was asking the question "Where to go?" and Adrienne from The Rich Life on a Budget came up with a wonderful idea: A Staycation! So far my staycation has only lasted for one day (a very hot thursday a few weeks ago). I still hope for the hot week(s) in August.
But the weekends developed quite a nice quality, staycation-wise. You know, pool parties etc. But there is a besides the pool. Right in front of the living it looks like this:

4 chairs, 3 side-tables and one big round table. Indestructible and well looked after.

Regular readers might notice, the surroundings look nothing like the view from my living room window. Mr Paula and I escape from the big heat during the months and look after my parent's apartment while they are on vacation. Shooing away burglars and so ...
This year we rather escaped from noise, dirt and dust. We lack the heat a bit (more of that later)

My parent's place offers qualities we enjoy. Television. Though the programme sucks. I ended up watching Two and a Half Men, Season 1. Unfortunately my mum owns only the first season on DVD.
There is also the opportunity of doing the laundry right there, in the kitchen! At my home-place I have to go down to the basement, which is only half the fun.
On my regular staycation day (=weekday, not weekend!) I started off by doing some hefty business.

GRUNGE BRUSH!Cleaning my bike!

The chain is so old, it already ruined the rim. Anyhow it would be wise to remove all the dirt and smudge that built up over time because I had been using the wrong oil!!

Some flowers waited to get repotted.

... and not to forget about my fitness.

I gave up swimming long ago, don't exactly remember why. Time for new goggles! Some things change for the better over time. Goggles used to be 20 EUR. Now you get them for 9,99 EUR. After repotting my window boxes don't need to shy in view of my parents flowers:

One more reason why a staycation is a good way to go on vacation is the unpredictable weather. There is nothing more miserable than two weeks away from home, in the mountains in a chalet, after getting ready at work for the vacation and ending up in the rain. Because this is what it has been like for seven days in a row in Austria/Europe: RAIN. And cold air. When I say cold, I really mean cold, like: 55°F day MAX!

These bottles will probably last another year.
Bad for the economy, good for my hyperpigmentation!

At 14°C I decided to turn up the heat and baked pies. (seen in the picture: #1)

A co-worker has more apples falling from her trees than she can take. I take them voluntairly, with pleasure. I am not quite sure, I guess she expected to receive a piece of the pie on monday, if Mr Paula had not spent the weekend at home ... by sunday evening the pies are gone. Mr Paula is the best eater, he does not mind if the apple pies turn out as apple crumbles.

When we move to my parent's place, I take like an IKEA bag of clothes with me. The wardrobe is like the essence of my summer clothes, the pieces I enjoy wearing over and over. It contains white shirts and marine-stripes. White, navy, grey and a hint of red. No wonder I feel comfortable in france, the tricolore is my label. My essential wardrobe consits of the hanging clothes and the two piles on the lower shelf. Whereas the left pile contains just training gear. Maybe I will count the pieces tonight, the number probably meets the project 333.

To my surprise I found proof that I did not always reject the colour red.
Of course, when getting the chance to match with Mickey ...

I could as well put on a mask. I am a very, very lazy mask-person. The masks sit in my dressing table and I don't know what holds me back?! Maybe I don't see the effects they advertise?

My father keeps this cute little beer glass, it is about 200ml. My size!

In case I am not too tipsy, I might polish my nails tonight

... while the laundry is drying.

There are days when you even feel like laundring the car-blanket. It makes me feel very content, that today was such a day.

These are the remains after the bike-service. Not sure, if I want to launder those rags.
I am adraid they might dirty the washing-machine.

Have a nice end of July!