Summer

 

When I was a child, those 2 months of summer vacation seemed endless and I loved every minute of it. By the time school started again, my hair was sun-bleached, I could see tan lines where from my watch and bikini and I had done exciting things, such as travelled abroad with my parents, read a pile of books and learned some new skill like jumping into the water or perfecting a "circus number" of some sorts with my younger cousin. Those were carefree happy times and I often long for a longer time off during the summer. Back in 2015 I took July to September off work and I am thinking of taking a month off next year too.

I have just enjoyed 2 weeks of annual leave and in a way these were reminiscent of those childhood times even if I did not travel apart, but divided my time between Innsbruck and Klagenfurt, something I would have found too boring and uneventful a few years ago. I am once more extremely grateful to have the privilege of free (!) vacation accommodation in popular tourist areas that also allowed me to experience almost "normal" ski days this past winter.

What else is comparable? Tan-lines: check. Pile of books read: check. New skill? Well, after reading so much about the revival of hoola-hooping seemingly everywhere, I got curious and decided to give this a go in the hope of finding an effortless method of exercise to counteract all the negative effects of endless hours sitting in front of my laptop. It was no easy start as I ordered a hoop that was too small and too heavy for a beginner (hello, bruises and sore muscles) but thanks to a larger and lighter model (pictured above) and after watching some helpful YouTube tutorials I am happy to report that I no longer flail my arms but have activated the proper muscles to do what they are supposed to do in order to make it look like the real thing. Not lying, I am a little proud.