How long can I retain that holiday serenity for? Here’s hoping for forever.
I’ve been back home for less than 24 hours and the edges of busy can be seen waiting at the sidelines, sneakily attempting to creep in. I woke up at around 10:30 am, later than usual, probably due to the change in light in the bedroom. I’m happy I got the extra sleep though. Around a week ago I read an article from a full-time (slow) traveller and writer who said that ditching her alarm clock was one of the best things she has ever done. I’ve lived parts of my life without an alarm clock and can agree with the sense of ease that it tends to give you. Sometimes though, an alarm clock is a necessary evil in order to be on time for morning activities. I’m currently trying to mix it up. Alarm clock days and no alarm clock days depending on whether I have any early morning appointments. Let’s see if the combination works well.
What was left of the morning (and early afternoon) was spent on some DIY assistance (Jo made a highly sexy foldable table for the balcony, inspired by the one at the AirBnB place we stayed in this weekend), some house re-ordering and cleaning and a spot of cooking using yummy Sicilian food. The house we were at in Acireale was an endless source of inspiration for simple home-improvement ideas. The couple who own it completely re-designed and re-built the house, building uncomplicated wooden furniture that seems easy to put together. We took many detail photos and hope to implement some bits in the Valletta house we live in. Today’s table was a case of adapting the design to make use of the wood, hinges and screws we already had, which was an exercise in applied creativity. In less time than it would take to assemble an Ikea table, this thing was done, now a functional, removable surface that adds flexibility to the space. Shelves and bedside tables come next.
The next few hours until a little before sunset I spent walking Valletta to check for updates on Olive Allison’s Streets Of Valletta. I hoped to finish it today but still have the humungous perimeter road to walk which I really hope to finish this week. I stopped at 6pm, walked to the seashore and did some sunset yoga (probably to the entertainment of the people fishing nearby) to the view of Manoel Island. I really hope that does not turn into another explosion of buildings, Tigne is enough of that for the whole of Malta.
Along the afternoon, my brain kept popping up things that need to be done with some urgency. Invoices to issue, jobs to be finalised, emails to send, questions to prepare etc etc etc. I wrote them down in my to do list, identified the absolute most urgent that needed to be done today, and left the rest for tomorrow. I’m learning that trying to do fewer things is actually more productive than tackling an endless to-do list that there is no way I can finish. It’s now almost 9:30pm, the three things on my list are done and it’s time for an early night in preparation for an early wake-up tomorrow. The rest will have to wait.
