Summer rituals

Dear reader,

My vacation has started, but I'm still in the early stages of it, when work still grapples my mind and I lie awake with anxiety for all the things that are waiting for me at the other end. It will take some time to let go, and in the meantime, I self-medicate in the only way I know how-keeping my hands busy by reading, sewing, painting and drawing.

Vacation has officially begun, but I’m still in that early, hazy phase where work clings to my thoughts like lint. My mind hasn’t quite caught up with my out-of-office reply, and sleep feels more like tossing and turning than drifting off.

It always takes a little time to unwind. So in the meantime, I self-medicate in the only way I know how: I keep my hands busy. Reading, sewing, painting, drawing—quiet little rituals to coax my nervous system into softness.

Slowly, slowly, I’ll get there too.

There is something about summer that invites a gentler approach to beauty. As the days stretch out and slow down, so does my routine. Come vacation, I pare it all back: a faithful SPF, the occasional face mask, and a gentle cleanser that doesn’t demand too much thinking.

I’ve long loved Nuxe’s Crème Fraîche, but only recently discovered their clever 3-in-1 product—cleanser, mask, and moisturiser in one. A small joy for the tiny bathroom shelf in our summer house. And in Florence, I picked up a face mask from Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. It smells exactly like how I imagine a chic Italian nonna.

I spend most of my reading hours on our balcony. There’s something delightfully summery about gaining a whole new room, just for a season. The light, the breeze, the occasional distant hum of a lawnmower. It’s just me, my stack of books, and the inevitable aphids throwing their own little garden party on my plants. We coexist—for now.