I feel like my picture-taking game has been subpar lately. I’ve either been leaving my phone at home or simply forgetting to take pictures. Overall this is a good thing – less time on my phone, more time in reality – but it makes for less interesting blogging.
You’ll have to fill in some blanks below with your imagination.
First up, some questions answered:
What is L doing this summer? Jenny asked and I am here to answer.
- He has one week of overnight camp (which coincides with a week A is working at the same camp…we’ll see how that dynamic goes, but the end result = John and I will be home ALONE without children for FIVE NIGHTS).
- He is coming along when we visit my parents (x2) and our trip to Portugal.
- The rest of his weeks involve half-day sports camps. They are fun, low-key, and very inexpensive ($35/week). He has done these the last two years and loved them; lots of his friends attend and he knows the leaders that run the sessions. They rotate through a different sport each day but in essence it’s a lot of free play in a gym which is basically his love language. I also appreciate that they’re only half days. It provides him with lots of down time and I’m hoping to organize some afternoon playdates with kids he wouldn’t ordinarily get a chance to hang out with during the school year.
Are you still painting your nails regularly? I gave my nails a break for a few weeks but typically, yes! I’ve switched to using a mineral nail polish remover and have been good about using a base coat again and my nail health seems to be improving. My most recent colour is Drop the Beet – a cheery plum colour that wooed me from the start.
I have a few nail painting tricks to share. I bought some cuticle remover – a bit of research suggested Blue Cross to be a great brand and it has very few ingredients, is inexpensive, and seems to work well. I have also started sealing the tips of my nails. For anyone remotely interested in this sort of thing, I use the technique shown in this video. It really helps prevent the tips from chipping!
How many blogs do I actually read?
I checked – a few people seemed amazed I guesstimated to only be following 30 blogs – and the official tally is 33. I was close.
I went for my first real bike ride last evening in…a decade? “It’s like riding a bike” is an apt saying because isn’t it amazing that I could hop on a bike and start pedalling without any teetering after so many years? It’s incredible that skills like swimming, ice skating, and biking are just always “there” once you learn them. John, L, and I biked a lovely section of a local trail system around sunset. The only hiccup was the giant hill at the end of the trail (brutal; I had to walk my bike twice) and the fact that my butt feels like one giant bruise today. But I foresee lots of biking in my future. (I thought of Kyria throughout my bike ride and hope she’ll be proud I’m back in the proverbial saddle.)
Our accommodations for Portugal are booked. Phew. That took some time and effort (fair enough, we’re visiting over peak season, want relatively inexpensive places to stay, and are booking places IN JUNE for a trip in AUGUST). But we’ve managed to find some great spots! Several people mentioned being interested in our tentative itinerary (if you have never been to Portugal or have no interest in trip itineraries, skip the next few paragraphs!); here’s what we’ve got so far:
Lisbon (5 nights): We’re staying very close to Parque Eduardo VII.
- Day One: Arrive (early in the morning), visit John’s family, buy groceries, settle into our apartment. Go to the park for a picnic supper?
- Day Two: Wander around downtown Lisbon. Hoping to see: the cathedral, the Rua Augusta Arch, Rua Navado Carvalho, and Praça do Comércio. Ideally we’ll wander in the morning, come back to the apartment to relax in the heat of the day, and then go back out for a bit in the evening. We will be using public transit as much as possible to avoid walking up the hills in the heat. [Does anyone have feedback about the Lisboa card?]
- Day Three: Day-trip to Sintra. Maybe go to Pena Palace – though it sounds like it’s just swarming with people – and probably the Moorish Castle. DEFINITELY want to go to Quinta de Regaleria. Everything is close together in Sintra, but I know it’s very hilly and will likely be hot.
- Day Four: Day-trip to Cascais. See the lighthouse, go to Boca de Inferno. Visit a beach. When we’re done, head back to Lisbon and just…chill.
- Day Five: Oceanário + Belém (maybe go to the top to the tower?). Visit John’s family. Prep to leave the next day.
Algarve (4 nights): We’re staying in Armação de Pêra after Daria’s recommendation.
- Day Six: Take train/bus from Lisbon to Faro and get a rental car. Maybe visit the Chapel of Bones? Drive to Armação de Pêra, check-in, go to the beach. Relax.
- Day Seven: Benagil Caves (maybe? if so…need to book this soon; kayaks vs boat tour? I’m liking the idea of a sunset boat cruise – cooler, smaller crowds and currently 50% off on tickets), Algar Seco, exploring Carvoeiro.
- Day Eight: Lagos. Ponta da Piedade, Praia do Camilo, Praia Dona Ana. So, basically, a beach day.
- Day Nine: Take the rental car back to Faro, catch train to Lisbon and then take the train to Porto.
Porto (4 nights):
- Day Ten: Porto. Cathedral. Train station. Food.
- Day Eleven: Pick up a rental car this day? Aveiro + the nearby lighthouse OR Duoro Valley river cruise? Probably Duoro Valley over Aveiro? I’d also love to get to Farolim de Felgueiras (lighthouse).
- Day Twelve: SPAIN! We are really, really hoping to get to Spain to see the Tower of Hercules which is the oldest still-functioning lighthouse in the world. It feels like something we really should do as self-proclaimed lighthouse aficionados? It’s about 3.5 hours of driving each way so…a lot of time in the car…but that is the tentative plan. We’d likely stop briefly in Braga as well.
- Day Thirteen: Do anything else we want to do in Porto. Take the train back to Lisbon.
Lisbon (2 nights)
- Day Fourteen: Take the bus to Nazaré. This is not the time of year to see big waves but John loves surfing and is Portuguese so, again, kinda feels like a must! Wander. See the lighthouse. Any extra time in the day could be spent chilling at our hotel in Lisbon? Say goodbye to John’s family.
- Day Fifteen: Leave for home!
For everyone who has already weighed in with suggestions, I’m open to thoughts on the above! We need to finalize the rental car and I haven’t booked any excursions (Benagil Cave, castles in Sintra, river cruise in Duoro Valley), but things are slowly taking shape.
Tonight was supposed to be “new parent” night for our local honour choir. L is branching out from sports next year and adding choir to his repertoire. He has always loved (loved) to sing. Last year he asked to join the honour choir. It’s a big commitment of both time and money so I suggested we wait until 2024; if he was still interested, I promised we’d pursue the opportunity. He is still very interested (and took it upon himself to audition one day at school), so honour choir it is!
Unfortunately, we’re in the middle of a heat wave and the building where the meeting was to be held doesn’t have air conditioning so they’ve postponed the event. Now my evening is blissfully clear. There is something uniquely wonderful about having a commitment cancelled at the last minute and suddenly having a wide open schedule!
I am starting another re-read of the James Herriot series. It has been a few years, and reading these books is like sitting down with an old friend. True to form, I’m concurrently re-reading a biography about the author (Alfred Wight, who went by the pen name of James Herriot).
At some point in the last week, our neighbour’s rose bush started to spill over the fence and one branch is now visible in our yard. I couldn’t resist snapping a picture of the blooms – a bit past their prime, but what a stunning colour and it’s a little jolt of delight to see these three blossoms hanging down where we can see them.
What are you reading this week? Do you have any flower gardens (we don’t and choose to live vicariously via glimpses of beauty…that someone else tends to)? Do you bike regularly?
Coree
So excited for your trip! Prepare yourself for the aggressive Portuguese drivers. For the metro, you can just load up money on a card (you’ll need one for each of you) and refill as needed. Time out market is very touristy but I like it for different preferences, some of the best sushi in Lisbon. And it’s hilarious to watch my small child get served sashimi in a cocktail glass with shaved ice. Amazing gelato as well. There’s a distinction between ice cream places, some are just ice cream and not amazing, and some are gelato and properly delicious. I’ll ask mom and message you. In Nazare, you can take the funicular up the cliff and there are swings where you can look out over the sea.
Elisabeth
Thankfully I will leave the driving 100% up to John but I know he’s very much certain he does not want to drive IN Lisbon (hence only renting the cars when we go south and north).
I’ve read about Time Out Market oodles of times with…mixed?…reviews? But I suspect we’ll end up there at some point since it’s a hot spot. And we love sushi so good to know they have good sushi there!
I saw the furnicular in Nazare and hope to do that! It looks like incredible views!
Suzanne
Your trip sounds AMAZING, Elisabeth! I cannot wait to read about it.
Love your nail color! So pretty! I very rarely paint my nails, but love it when I do. It just feels so pointless because they chip so quickly. Maybe I need to watch the video you linked to!
We have rose bushes in our new-to-us yard and… I hate them! I am not a big fan of roses in the first place, but they also seem to bloom and INSTANTLY look past their prime. They were moderately pretty for a couple of weeks, but they seem to have all completely given up on producing flowers. I have no idea what I’m doing. I need hardy, independent flowers that can take care of themselves. I am thinking about removing them all at the end of the season. (Or sooner if I continue to hate looking at them!) We do have plenty of other flowers that I enjoy, though. But the roses… ergh. No thank you.
Elisabeth
Fingernails do chip frustratingly easily, but I find I can get about a week out of my nails these days – with a few minor touchups – if I “seal the tips”.
This is one reason I have no desire to plant flowers on our property (and part of the reason I never opt for flowers in my house). They seem to wilt/die and look depressing soooo fast! Rose bushes are also a nuisance because of the thorns; hard to work in and around and hard to get rid of. Glad you have lots of other pretty landscaping, though, and I support your decision to get rid of the rose bushes!
Nicole MacPherson
DO I HAVE FLOWER GARDENS! Yes I do! Most of our flowers are newly planted but there are some nice surprises that pop up around here. I love flowers and I used to have climbing roses in our Calgary garden, they were so delightful when they would start blooming. They climbed up the back fence and it would be all pink and green.
I keep my nails painted all the time, otherwise I tend to pick at them. I like the Sally Hansen gel manicure, which lasts me a lot longer than regular polish and is still easily removable, unlike salon gel manicures.
That’s exciting for L to branch out into choir! Hope you are staying cool in this heatwave!
Elisabeth
Surprises sound fun – this is your first summer officially living in your new place (I know you were there before, but not with all the fancy new landscaping). I hope the gardens – veggie and flower – are pure joy!
I still haven’t tried the Sally Hansen gel manicure, but I remember you mentioning it before and need to check it out!
Jenny
Oh, L’s summer sounds so fun! And I’ll be excited to hear how honor choir goes- although I would also have been relieved that “new parent” night was canceled.
Your trip sounds amazing, and reading this I’m aware of how much work goes into planning a trip like this. I’ve never been to Portugal and am looking forward to hearing ALL THE DETAILS.
My picture taking has also been sub-par this week. I thought I’d have all sorts of fun photos from my sister’s visit but I keep forgetting to take them. Like you said, it’s a good thing- until you’re writing a blog post.
Elisabeth
It is…a lot. I wish I was someone who didn’t like a plan and just hopped on a plan and moseyed around the whole time (likely naturally seeing most of the highlights anyway), but that is NOT the way I am.
Michelle G.
Your plans for Portugal sound so fun, Elisabeth! I’m looking forward to traveling vicariously through you! I used to have flower gardens, but I gave up. I do have lilacs and flowering bushes, which are pretty and low maintenance. I also used to ride a bike a lot. I miss it! But I fell once a few years ago. I wasn’t badly hurt, but it was enough that it scared me off of bike riding. I’ve seen adult tricycles that look super cute, but I haven’t tried one yet.
Elisabeth
When we bought our current house it had a lot of mature landscaping including dozens of flowering hostas and the most gorgeous row of lilac bushes. Literally the first summer we lived here we had to excavate the perimeter of the house and all the hedges and bushes were destroyed. The only thing I’m still sad about was the lilac bushes. They’re just so pretty and I love the smell!
Lindsay
It’s so funny that you mentioned bike riding because that is one of the only forms of cardio I have going for me right now; getting my “saddle” used to the saddle on both my Peloton and bicycle again has been oof, but I forgot how freeing it was just to glide. (Minus hills, because ugh…) I know nothing of Portugal but your trip sounds amazing and I can’t wait to hear all about it!
Elisabeth
Going down hill is SO fun! I had forgotten the thrill. Going up is another story!
Melissa
Five nights just you and John—how wonderful! I think we managed to get two of three off to youth camp at church one year. Summer camps are not really a thing here, and getting three kids off to camp is unusual.
I agree about the bike. I’ve enjoyed getting back into it. I had a little break because of my foot but got back on this week.
We used to have a rose garden in our first place and then our last house we had some climbing roses on the fence outside my kitchen window. We don’t have any roses in our new garden, I’ve opted for more native flowers but I might branch out at sometime.
Elisabeth
It’s the first time ever where we’ll be home. I think we’ll aim to do some little day trips; he starts work early in the morning since he works for a European company, so most days can be flexibly “off” shortly after lunch. Maybe some sunsets at local beaches?
Lisa's Yarns
OMG 5 nights without both kids. MAGIC. What fun! We are hoping to pull that off in late August but haven’t formally asked my parents if they want to keep Taco AND Paul rather than just Paul. Phil feels we are asking too much of them as they are 76yo so not spring chickens… but the boys can be easier to entertain at the lake since they love to play in the water and sand. I am going to see how things go over the 4th of July holiday and then give my mom a no pressure ‘you can absolutely say no’ option to keep Taco, too.
The Portugal trip will be amazing!! That is such a nice, long stretch of time to explore! I can’t wait to live vicariously through you.
As far as flowers, we have some flowering things in the front of our house but I don’t love them. I don’t dislike them enough to change things up, though. We would have to hire a landscaping company and I don’t know that we feel like it’s worth the $$ when the current set-up is “fine.” I also have some hanging baskets of petunias. We get a ton of sun so I am limited in what I can get for hanging baskets.
Before I moved in with Phil, I lived downtown and had a membership to our seasonal bike program. There were docking stations all over the place so you can hop on/off easily and I would bike to work. I also have a hybrid bike but I haven’t rode it since I found out I was pregnant with Paul! Our boys don’t know how to ride a bike yet and haven’t been very interested in it since they love scooting. I am the paranoid mom who worries they will need learn this skill and Phil’s like “eh, they will care enough at some point and figure it out then.” He’s probably right. If Paul learned to ride, I would go on bike rides with him but I’m waiting for him to take interest!
Elisabeth
I reallllyy hope it works for both boys to stay with your parents. What special memories all around. I honestly think it would be amazing for everyone!!!
I don’t even have hanging baskets – watering and deheading them seems like too much work (which should tell you all you need to know about my gardening prowess or lack therof).
That bike program sounds amazing! Our library rents out bikes and the nice thing is the library is at the bottom of the hill, so if I ever went that route – tempting! – I wouldn’t need to ride up the hill. I’m sure the boys will learn! It feels like a gentle peer pressure thing that will come naturally (i.e. he’ll make friends who bike a lot and naturally want to learn?). I know a few people who learned to bike (and swim) as adults.
San
I am super excited for your Portugal trip (so glad you’re going!), unfortunately, I don’t have any tips because I haven’t been to Portugal, but it sounds like you have a lot of things tentatively planned out!
I cannot believe you have only 33 blogs on your Feedly list. That blows my mind. I should probably clean up my subscriptions a bit, but I am pretty sure they’re well in the triple digits (well, I follow a lot of recipe blogs and craft blogs that I don’t really “read” or connect with the blogger as much, just to be transparent).
I love that you can go for bike rides now (so fun!) and I also still love your hammock (I still don’t have one LOL).
That nail polish color is so summer-y! I have fallen off the bandwagon and should paint my nails again… I’ve just been lazy.
Elisabeth
TRIPLE DIGITS. Wow.
The hammock is just purely delightful. It was one of those things I purchased not knowing how much we’d actually use it. Turns out – A LOT. Like every day at this point and it makes me so happy to see it being put to “good use.”
coco
super excited for your Portugal trip, a city I’ve been wanting to visit, will follow you along.
I love your nail color. I really want to do it myself so I could use more “healthy” or natural nail polishes but they don’t last. so please share all your tricks.
I’m reading 5 resets, a book about better managing stress, which is my latest interest (sigh…).
Elisabeth
The number one thing is sealing the tips (I linked to the video I used for reference). It makes a BIG difference. I also do a fairly thick second coat. It takes longer to set, but it makes it look glossier and lasts longer. And always, always, always do a generous top coat!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
That nail color matches the roses. How fun. I need to check out the video as my nail edges always split.
Your Portugal schedule sounds wonderful. I want to go on vacation with you and see al the lighthouses.
I am a little mad at myself for not sitting down and crating our own holiday. I told the husband over Christmas I would be in charge so it isn’t last minute again and here we are. I have researched about an hour or two and gave up. Sigh…
Elisabeth
I’m not sure how many lighthouses we’ll get to in the end since we won’t have a car the whole time, but just to see ANY in Portugal will be amazing.
NGS
Drop the Beet is a gorgeous color!!
Our backyard has lots of flowers. I do not tend to them – they just grow wild and crazy and it’s jungle-like. That’s okay. At least I don’t have to do anything with them.
I have 49 blogs on my Feedly, but I must admit that some are duplicates (I follow two of San’s feeds because of the RSS weirdness awhile ago), some are blogs that don’t post anymore, and some are gymnastics blogs that I follow, but never really comment on. Huh. That’s not really as much as it seems sometimes when I can’t check in on blogs for a few days!
Elisabeth
I am LOVING this colour. It’s fun, but also makes me feel grown up?
Gymnastics blogs? I’m fascinated and want to know more!
Stephany
I follow exactly 33 blogs, too! That’s wild, haha.
Thank you for linking that nail polish video! I watched it + the other two in that series and now I’m excited to start painting my nails again. I stopped this year because I just got out of the habit and was tired of my nails chipping so easily, but I’m going to try all of her tips! (I was doing the edge trick but AFTER I had painted the nail bed, so it makes a lot more sense to do it beforehand.)
Elisabeth
Yes! I find it works so much better to do before and I always use another finger to pull the skin away (like she showed). I makes such a big difference. One week I tried it on one hand using that trick and the other not using it and the difference was obvious within a few days because the one where I didn’t seal the ends chipped much faster. I also do a quick horizontal strip with my top coat as well!