Sunday 24 July 2011

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!

10 comments:

  1. Thank you for the mention, Paula. I feel like I am always on a Staycation these days...no traveling plans for quite some time.

    My parents live far away, so I can't visit them unless I plan well in advance. We do like to take the motor home for short trips every so often.

    It looks like you are getting lots done while on your Staycation: laundry, nails, cooking, exercising. Productivity and leisure!

    Have a great time - can you believe July is nearly over?

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  2. Looks like a great change of pace and scenery.
    Nice for you and great peace of mind for your parents.

    Looking cute with Mickey Mouse!

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  3. Paula,
    that sounds like a house/bike/garden/laundry working-cation - at home.
    You ache been such busy girl, and you've done some long blogs too.
    I feel ashamed of my own indolence - but, in really exciting news, I have the Dodgy Brothers down here with me now, AND - I painted my nails.

    So far my Nurse -Mr iT - has flooded the unit by letting the bath run for 3 hours, made enough messes for me to get 3 hours exercise every day hobbling around cleaning up after him, locked me out of the unit for 2 hours (accidentally I think), forgotten to feed me for the first tow days out of hospital. Tee Hee - it does make me very independent, and able to cope with anything.

    Hope your holiday warms up a bit, loved the post.
    Lou
    xxxxx

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  4. That pie looks soooooo good!
    I notice the Avene skin product - do you mind if I ask what it is??
    My dermatologist recommeded I buy Avene for the face to use in winter - it is excellent - and so much more economical than the Chanel cream I have been buying for years!
    I replied to your post on my blog - come to New York and we can meet up!!!

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  5. Adrienne, I can bike to my parent's place. But the distance should not be too small.

    Hostess, I can't remember anymore how it feels getting wakened by the noise of heavy construction work. It is really peaceful in the outskirts!

    Louise, mmmh, yep! You are right - working-cation, at least for that sunday. Indolence you call it? (ok. I admit I had to look the word up), no! It's a recovery. Hmmm. what's up with Nurse MrI iT? And about the accidentally not-feeding: we could put you right beside my mother's orchids and you would all starve. Bad nurses around the globe!

    StylishShoeGirl, the pie photo was taken before! After was no time for a photo, since the pie immediately wandered to the table and from there to our stomachs and later on to our hips. :-)
    The product is a Avene sunscreen for Acne prone skin, it is called Cleanance. I also like the Avene diacneal for the evening.
    You really want me to visit New York! I am already looking forward to seeing the pictures you will take there.

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  6. Hey Paula we have a lot in common! I am in Virginia right now, at my parents house, where I can do laundry in the room off the kitchen (I have to go down to the basement in Brooklyn which looks like a set from a horror movie), and I'm watching a ton of cable TV, which I don't have at home. Did you polish your nails? I'd love to see a nail polish post from you! I just did one a few days ago about a new Chanel color I bought. I'm trying to do a manicure more often.

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  7. a stay-cation sounds like a perfect thing right now. The weather here is not much better, only a few days above 20 degrees C. The flowers and the early morning breakfast view from your parents deck looks absolutely perfect.

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  8. Oh This was just GREAT! I love just all of it.
    Hugs -
    Have a pretty day!
    Kristin

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  9. Liebe Paula,
    die Natur und die Ruhe ist unbezahlbar und die Eltern haben einen wunderbaren Ausblick! So läßt sich das Frühstück formvollendet genießen
    neben anderen *indoor activities*....
    Fernsehprogrammtechnisch hat mich meine Tochter auf den Geschmack von *True Blood* gebracht (man sollte allerdings etwas für hübsche Männer mit spitzen Beisserchen übrig haben, sonst funktioniert das nicht so ganz.... ;)) und nachdem der ganze Plot im tiefen Lousiana angesiedelt ist, trifft das mein reiselustiges Herz komplett!
    Nachdem wir alle 3 Staffeln auf DVD im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes aufgesaugt hatten, heißt es nun für uns waaaaarten.....bis der deutsche Markt mit Teil 4 beglückt wird.
    Vielleicht sollte ich mich doch das nächste Mal auf eine Serie einlassen, die komplett abgeschlossen ist und alle DVD`s zu haben sind....

    Und das mir!
    Zähle ich doch eher zu der Sparte *Kaum-Serien-Gucker*!

    Danke für Deine lieben Glückwünsche, aber Marie ist erst noch auf dem Weg zum Abi (Marke: Oberspätzünder!) :)) Ich weiß, sie sieht älter aus, dass man davon ausgehen könnte....mal sehen, ob sie durchhält bis zu diesem Ziel....

    Beate :)

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  10. sorry everone for my late replies! blogger swallowed my comment. huh!

    jill815,our laundry room in the basement got repainted, a fresh colour improves it a lot. I almost forgot there are cities in the USA where people live a life similar to the life we leave over here in the cities in Central Europe.

    Jen, at least one doesn't muss anything while working indorrs, at the office. I really enjoy the stay at my parents place, it is a miracle they spend their summer like they always used to, after all my mother went through earlier this year.

    Kristin, oh thank you for bringing your joy over here! You are right, this is a pretty posting.

    Liebe Beate, in Serien reinkippen ist schon was wunderbares. Ein Jammer, dass im ORF so schlechte Serien laufen, dass die meisten Österreicher kategorisch sagen "Serien sind Schrott". Tatsächlich gibt es unglaublich witzige, intelligente Programme. Marie macht es ganz schön spannend ...

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