Have you ever felt the infinite pleasure of doing nothing but laze around or lie on the beach all day? Although I am, generally, a very active person, in July I recharge my batteries by indulging in indolence. I enjoy sleeping but I almost invariably get up at 7:00 am. I love having a siesta for 2 hours in early afternoon when it's too hot to stay on the beach, yet I can sleep like a log at night.
In July, my day starts with a lazy breakfast on the veranda and then it's beach time for a couple of hours. Sometimes, I may spend the whole morning on the beach and relax by contemplating the sea or I may go home, make a sandwich for lunch and flip through the channels on TV. Being under the spell of this sweet indolence, I rarely cook in July - we usually have a take-away delivery or something simple such as spaghetti, a salad, grilled chicken, smoked salmon and grapes or a platter of fruit with cheeses.
From September to June, first thing in the morning, I make a mental list of all the tasks I need to do at work and often find that 12 hours won't be enough for me to meet marking and reports deadlines in addition to planning lessons and teaching. The truth is I love the adrenaline rush. I wouldn't know what to do without it. The deadlines keep me on track. Free time then is a luxury considering I work on Saturdays as well. So July is the month I'm looking forward to, after a long, busy school year. The good thing is that I hardly ever get bored doing nothing but lie on the beach, go swimming, walking or jogging, blog, occasionally cook a decent meal or read books. If you like, these are my sweet, indolent activities in the summer.
I've only just realised that July is softly oozing into August which means that going back to work is round the corner. But I've still got some more time off work to take a short holiday away in August and enjoy the beach as much as I can.
Anastasia, you are very lucky to live so near such an amazing beach. Your photos are gorgeous! I sometimes look forward to doing nothing but this is a luxury to me due to a hectic schedule at work. I wish I had your long summer break. Right now I am looking forward to my holidays in August. I'm going to Sifnos for a week, like every summer, and then I may spend another week in Galaxidi. Like you, when I'm on holiday, I feel vary lazy and I love it although I do enjoy going fishing even if I don't catch anything.
Posted by: Constantinos T | July 27, 2013 at 07:29 PM
Ahhh....dolce far niente. I love it! Great photos!!!
Posted by: Lisa A | July 27, 2013 at 08:38 PM
We have some great beaches in Limassol as well but , honestly, Mackenzie Beach looks amazing, especially in the fourth picture. If you hadn't added a caption, I'd say this beach is somewhere in Indonesia!!! :-) I haven't been to Mackenzie beach in Larnaca yet , not since 2000. I hear it's changed completely now.
Posted by: Sophia | July 28, 2013 at 12:15 PM
Beautiful post and great photos. Take advantage of your summer break and get a good rest. On my days off work, I just laze around my apartment in pyjamas I watch TV and eat junk food or sushi. I find it very relaxing.
Posted by: Haruko N | July 28, 2013 at 12:32 PM
I can get quite lazy when I am on holiday as well. I can lie on the beach for hours, close my eyes and forget all about work, problems and worries.
Posted by: Stefania | July 29, 2013 at 10:28 AM
What an awesome beach! Is it near your home?
Posted by: Karolina | July 29, 2013 at 07:36 PM
Oh yes, Anastasia, I have felt the infinite pleasure of doing nothing. In these hard times of financial crisis, I certainly feel blessed to have a well-paid job, but once off work I am in idle mode! I love to sleep for 2-3 hours soon after lunch. This is usually from 4:00 to 6:30 pm. From 6:30 pm to midnight I turn into a coach potato with my laptop on my lap. And then I go back to sleep again. Soon after midnight, I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow! Such a pity that this only happens...infrequently!
Posted by: Christina | July 29, 2013 at 08:47 PM