1. After they leave for the day I take my backpack and go for a long hike. I know of a dozen things that I should have been doing instead, most of them related to housework, but they just didn’t seem tempting (and mind-occupying) enough to stay indoors on such a glorious sunny summer day.
2. At the restaurant on the top of the hill I set as my destination they serve me a lemonade in a smoothie jar with a yellow straw lid and I think that is just lovely.
3. Once the trail leaves the forest and I am out in the open again, in the full blazing sun, all I can think of is that I need to sit down. I spot a bench, hidden in the shade of trees and bushes, next to a cottage that is clearly uninhibited today. A perfect spot to drink some water and listen to the birds.

1. Em is really excited about her shopping spree. The yellow jacket she bought is a hit.
2. When I see the date on the document I panic. A few hours later I start working on the application and I am done in 30 minutes.
3. I am my own enemy the whole day long and it is only at 10 p.m. that I make peace with myself. Red nail polish is my reward and a reminder to take it easy on myself.

1. I can’t get enough of the smell of the undergrowth during the hike.
2. We stop by the river to freshen up. Our feet are numb and our skin is cool as we stand in the water in the shade of trees and the stone wall.
3. While my girls go for a swim in a private pool I have two hours to myself. It’s too hot to do anything else but to have an ice cream and watch a cheesy romantic Spanish series on TV.