Farewell to Summer: August

 

 

One word: complete and utter uncertainty

Farewell to Summer: July.

 

Today.

Today was sweet, as the past week or so has been. I have found a certain rhythm - work on the dissertation in the morning, relax in the afternoon (or maybe work some more) and I have been really enjoying it. While I was writing this morning my father told me there was a free spot for me to get some vaccine shots that I’ve been putting off for years, so I stopped everything and got out with Dad. On the way back from the hospital we got some errands done, driving from one place to the other with the windows down, chatting about silly things. He cooked pasta for lunch, the basil snipped from the plant on the balcony. I lazily worked some more in the afternoon, taking the odd knitting break, then cut the fabric I bought yesterday to make a (hopefully) very simple skirt. I wish I had the words to express how special this utterly ordinary day was. The thought that this might be my last full Summer at home has been popping up in my mind every now and then, and quickly put away in a corner of my mind.

This week. #7

This week...

I won a skein of yarn in an Instagram giveaway! It happened first thing on Monday morning and it made the week start on such a positive note. It’s coming from a girl all the way in the US so I hope it doesn’t get lost!

I had to go to Rome for a couple of hours on Tuesday and I had to leave very early in the morning. Mum brought me to the station- we had coffee together and we went for a little walk while waiting for the coach. It was absolutely lovely. The day was super tiring and stressful between having to carry a huge stack of library books and dealing with a professor that hasn’t quite gotten how to use computers yet, but the morning at the station was just lovely.

I finished my first ever pair of socks (and another single sock, too). There’s a massive difference in terms of quality between the first and the second one I made, but I’m really proud of myself. I’m using some inexpensive, quite scratchy yarn to practice, and I can’t wait to make a pair out of some soft merino. I also finished the yellow lace top and it fits really well! I’m almost certainly going to dye it blue once I have the time to go out and buy the dye.

I realized I haven’t read a book in two months, which is strange to say the least. My reading usually slows down when I’m in the middle of exams but never actually stops. I have a few books that I got for my birthday way back in March and I’m so looking forward to reading them at the beach in a few days!

I bought a pair of high heels for the university gala night on Wednesday. I have this love-hate relationship with them because they’re very pretty -I wouldn’t have bought them otherwise- but they’re high heels, and I’m probably going to wear them once a year if at all. I hate spending money on items that I know upfront I’m not going to wear often but that I have to buy anyway because I need them. I asked some friends if they had any heels that I could borrow, but they didn’t go with my dress (and obviously I didn’t want to buy a new dress). Ugh.

I received some yarn in the mail for my upcoming knitting project, which is a Summer cardigan. I have been meaning to make one since before I even knew how to knit and most importantly I really need one, so I am beyond excited to start working on it once I’m done with exams.

I listened to the new Florence + the Machine album and I love it SO MUCH. It’s the same Florence as always but at the same time it’s a more mature, grown-up Florence and I’m IN LOVE WITH IT.

I’m thankful that it started getting really hot only three days before my exam so that I didn’t have to study in the heat. I have been incredibly lazy lately and I really hope I get lucky at the exam in two days’ time. 

I want to get better at taking photos of my day-to-day life.

This week. #6

In the past three weeks... 

I ate the first peach of the season.

I made two potholders for my Grandma, who loved them and told me they were too pretty to use but shortly after proceeded to put away all her other potholders and replaced them with the ones I made her.

I went on a hike in memory of my uncle, on the same mountain where he slipped and fell last November.

I found a little bird on my balcony one day, and realized how despite the fact that I love nature and animals so much, I am completely clueless when it comes to rescuing them.  

I learnt about the life of my grandma's best friend. One night after dinner my mother started talking about her; she told us that after the war she traveled alone all the way to Canada to meet her husband who was working there; she told us the reason why they didn't have kids; and that she lost a brother when she was really young. I have known this woman all my life yet I really didn't know anything about her.

I got the top mark on an exam and it was wonderful! I think it was one of my favourite subjects this far, and the exam in itself was very challenging and rewarding. The morning after I finished knitting my grey sweater while watching Call Me By Your Name and it was AMAZING. 

I started doing some physical therapy for my tendonitis and it's going much better.

I celebrated my brother 18th birthday - he's already started having driving lessons and it's making me feel very emotional and very, very old.

This week... 

We found a little cat in our courtyard. He looks like he's in very good health, and he's very playful and affectionate. We can't keep him, so we are trying to find him a family but I don't think it's going to be easy. I have been taking so many study breaks to go in the courtyard to play with him!

I bought tickets for the university gala (ball? prom? however you want to call it), just because it's my last year and I never went before. Also, because my best friend who is coming back to Italy from Australia only a few days prior decided she wants to come as well! It's going to be super weird, considering it's going to be the first time I will see her in a year and I have an exam the same morning. 

I finished knitting one single sock (minus the heel, which I will add later on) and I have almost finished making a sleeveless top out of some inexpensive cotton yarn. It was my first experience with lace and I didn't find it too difficult, only it required more attention than I can currently give and so there are a few errors here and there. The yarn is bright yellow and I'm thinking of maybe dying it blue, so I can get more wear out of it. 

I'm studying for my next exam which is in 10 days. I can feel my energy slowly diminishing every day as the weather gets hotter. I honestly have no clue how this exam will go, it depends on how much effort I can put towards studying in the next 10 days.