Happy Independence Day to all my American readers!
Being a huge America fan, I always celebrate Independence Day as well. At the very least my husband and I sit on the balcony and daydream about what we would do if we lived in the US. Those discussions usually involve various foodstuffs and a front porch, but have been known to involve a set of entirely different foodstuffs and an apartment in Manhattan. It depends. 😉
I wanted to give you a quick peek ahead as to how I plan to run my blog over the coming two months. In Austria, July and August are school-holidays, which means both my kids are at home, not just the small one, therefore reducing my free time (i.e. blogging time) dramatically.
I will not always be able to post daily, but there will be a post at least every other day.
Please don’t abandon me! 🙂
In August we will go on vacation to Italy. Expect a little fumie travelogue… that brings us to the Monday Question of the week:
What are your plans for the summer?
Exotic travels? Staying at home working? Relaxing on the beach or climbing mountains?
What are you planning for the next two months?
Olfactoria's Travels 
Lots of museum visits in the U.K that are long overdue. I had a lot of hospital and hormone problems for two years . I feel much better now. I am not a sun-seeker at all so museums and then planning where we’d like to go next year .
I am glad you are better, Angie! I am no sun-seeker myself, SPF 50 and an umbrella all the way. 😉
Museum trips sound lovely, so many impressions to take a way and as a bonus it is always cool in there. 😉
Happy 4th of July! I miss being in the States on the 4th of July. Summer is usually in full swing and the BBQs and fireworks are great fun. One day I will fly my husband and son to DC for the holiday so they can see what I mean. Today, a mock celebration at home with hamburgers and corn on the cob will have to suffice. No plans for the summer. Hubby does not get any time off. Enjoy your vacation months and hopefully summer will finally arrive in Vienna. Much to my son’s delight I was singing Christmas carols in yesterday’s cold!
Are you American, Sandra?
I hope to be in the US for Independence Day sometimes, I am often there for Thanksgiving but never in the summer.
Enjoy the burgers! 🙂
My son was singing Jingle Bells too, yesterday. It is his favorite song, year-round! 😉
Yes, I am. Thanksgiving is also a great time to travel to the States. I have promised my son to travel to see his cousins for 4th of July and Halloween in the coming years. They are fun holidays for the children. Vienna can’t be beat when it comes to Christmas time. Vienna has a special place in our hearts. Jingle bells- how adorable is that! We sang “here comes Santa Claus” much to my husband’s surprise.
Thankfully today’s weather is a bit less reminiscent of Christmas time! 🙂
Well, food is quite the last thing what comes in my mind when thinking about the US… Anyway, I really hope to have a bit less stress and problems in the office during July-August, expecting that at least some of my clients leave for holiday – the recent few weeks were awful, and unfortunately I can’t see any easing yet. I hope for lots of sunshine because as usually I stay here for the next two months and enjoy Vienna, abandoned by its inhabitants. I hope to meet friends I haven’t seen for long time – living abroad, or just too busy otherwise. And I simply hope for more leisure time, so I can make some sports.
Happy 4th of July to everybody.
Isn’t Vienna great, when everyone is out? Parking spaces abound and there is an air of relaxed-ness that is otherwise missing.
I hope your work allows you breathe a little in the next two months.
Oh, absolutely, I love-love-love Vienna during the summer schoolbreak !
I always secretly wish they would not let all those cars back in. 😉
Well, I’m waiting for the August (still a lot to do in July) and then I’m off for 3 weeks vacation! 😀
I can’t wait!
I’ll be spending them at my boyfriend’s house, in a small village by the seaside, swimming, sunbathing and reading. Heaven on Earth. 🙂
That sounds truly wonderful! Can I come? I bring my own books and promise not to eat too much. 😉
Food is never a problem but your own books might be needed. 😉
Not a problem! I have some catching up to do on my reading… 🙂
I am still trying to not panic about the forthcoming school holidays where I try to juggle organising childcare for my children whilst continuing to work, July and August, ironically, is our busiest time of year. I am planning on taking a holiday with my children, who knows where as that is also on my to do list.
School holidays are awful for working mums. It is a struggle.
I hope you all get a relaxing time off somewhere. (But I know that is way easier said than done. 🙂 )
Ha! Business as usual where I live, in Australia, where it is mid-winter. We still have a loooong way to go. Later in the year in early summer I have two months leave from my job and I cannot help day -dreaming about it.
It is so strange everything is upside down down under. (lame joke, I know) 😉
Birgit seems to be a US-fan – so am I an OZ-fan. Greetings to down-under !
Oh, two months leave, sounds awsome – happy daydreaming, Annemarie.
Many thanks lady jane. Enjoy your summer!
Happy Independence Day, Birgit! I’ve had several trips lately so I hope to be home for a while. My plan for the rest of the summer is to relax. I look forward to hearing about your Italy trip!
Relaxing sounds like a good plan! Happy Fourth, Jim!
Thank you for your July 4th congrats! We are having a stay-cation, because we already live on the beach in Florida, we don’t have to travel anywhere, woot, woot! We don’t eat much meat so we don’t BBQ, but lots of yummy ice cream, mimosas, and chocolate cake. The weather is cooperating (no hurricanes), so we are happy. Can’t wait for your travelogue, I miss Italy so much!
You really are right where most people dream of being for a vacation. Have a wonderful day, Marla!
Italy is indeed great, I love the variety it offers (and the food of course).
Hope you have a perfect, fumy and sunny holiday in Italy!
I am going to work a bit…up in the mountains and at the seaside – it’s good to have a job like this! I should gather plant material for my experiments for a doctoral thesis.
I plan to have Un Jardin Sur Le Nil, Lemon Sorbet – Etro, 4 Reines – L’Occitane, Eau des Merveilles, Moschino Couture!, Chance Eau Fraiche(or maybe I should leave them and take only samples and decants to explore?) and something vanillic or inscencey but I’am not sure which one…I wish I had Black Orchid – it would have been my ultimate choice for the summer evenings and nights!
When I read what I wrote I saw a little mistake – I have those perfumes, but I plan to have them with me on the holidays! I only do not have Black Orchid – oh, when, oh, when…+
Wow, that sounds interesting! I like to bring one or two trusted perfumes and a bunch of small decants on vacations, it is fun to explore something new, but have old standbys at hand as well.
Have a great time, Lyubov, hopefully with Black Orchid.
There are a few travels planned, mostly to weddings of friends or to visit family. But the major goal for the summer is to stay home and write. There’s a book in the works, and I’m very tired of it being in the works. They say that when the author is fed up with writing it’s probably time to finish!
That sounds amazing, Fernando! I hope you finish your book this summer. What a wonderful achievement, I hope to be there one day too. 🙂
It must be hard enough to juggle work and children, let along an avid blog audience as well! Don’t worry, you’re doing the sensible thing and posting every other day is still pretty impressive. Looking forward to the fumie travelodge.
I’m off to Sicily in September which is a nice to go away in case you need to make up for a typically British summer.
Now you can tell me, is the real reason you are going to Italy so that you can get hold of those 3 Tauer’s exclusive to Rome? If so, well done! 🙂
Actually the first week is still fully stocked, post-wise. 😉 I just feel better when I blog, so I make the time whenever possible.
Sicily is so beautiful, I had a great vacation there a few years ago. And September is the perfect time for it.
Sadly we are not going as far south as Rome. 😦 But it would be really nice…
Hello B!! Here in the US (Ohio) we are celebrating the fourth of July by inviting over my son and his Indian girlfriend who are moving to Providence, Rhode Island soon, along with my Mother and my eldest brother, and my fumie local friend Frieda (from Belgium) and her son.
We’ll have burgers and hot dogs and corn on the cob, and potato salad and pasta salad, and watermelon, and and and!!
This summer is business as usual too! But my DH and I will be driving my son’s rental truck (my son is 24 and refuses to get a drivers’ license) to Rhode Island and we’ll stay for a long weekend. Looking forward to it as I oddly love to drive!
I won’t abandon you!!!
Hello BF! I wish I could celebrate with you, it sounds quintessentially American to me. In another word: perfect. 🙂
Providence is a nice city, we have friends there and my husband spent a big part of his childhood in the vicinity at summer camp.
Have a great roadtrip!
I am 100% leaving if you aren’t going to post daily. That’s it. I draw the line!
Don’t be ridiculous! Of course we’ll all be around! We adore you. Happy Summer!
Lol, Jen! For a moment I froze when I read your comment! 🙂
Thanks for being there! xoxo
I loved your description of 4th of July celebrations! 🙂
I love 4th of July myself, in our family it always involved BBQ of some kind (pulled pork this year, ribs last) and a bunch of side dishes. I still can’t get used to the fireworks, they are shooting them so late in the evening because it gets dark so late.
This Summer after my work is done we plan a camping trip to the foothills of the Cascade range and maybe a beach vacation — if I won’t buy too many perfumes, lol!
I only like fireworks from a distance as well, the shooting is loud, and I always fear some kids are blowing their heads off.
A camping trip sounds nice. 🙂
Thanks for sending us Happy 4th of July wishes all the way from Vienna, Birgit!
My vacation for the summer is over, alas, all of it spent in June. But there is still the local swimming pool and lots of good books to read and hopefully lots of great weather still to enjoy. Oh, and the town where I live in has its huge Festival of the Arts this month, which is really nice.
Will look forward to hearing about your vacation…bet you can’t wait! 🙂
Hi Suz!
I hope you had a great day.
Your summer sounds relaxing, especially the reading of good books, that is what I miss most at the moment, sitting down with a book undisturbed – but in a few years, I will be back to reading with a vengeance.
The Arts festival sounds good!
I have just started my five-week leave, it’s wonderful! Next week I’m going to my parent in Gotland, a lovely place in the summertime, I can really recommend a visit. Although it’s a bit of a shame to leave the north at this time of year- I can’t get enough of the light. Hm, I’ll have to think about that-what perfume is best suited to the midnight sun?!
Good for you! Five weeks, that is great!
I never experienced the Midnight sun, I bet it is wonderful. Anya’s Garden Light comes to mind as a perfect scent for these days of perennial light.
I agree with Tara that posting every other day will still be an impressive feat, with any number of children in tow! :- ) I still check back routinely to see if bloggers I like might have posted something, months after they ran into a dry period, so I don’t think you have anything to worry about on the frequency front. Someone once said it is not quantity but predictability that readers like eg the way Olfactarama only posts on a Monday, type of thing. People know that and get used to her rhythm.
Being self-employed, I work when there’s work regardless of the time of year and my summer will be filled with a series of overseas business trips, subject to people not being on holiday when I would like to visit, which is a very moot point! Otherwise, we will push part of the job back to September. Still planning to come to Vienna if the company there will agree to a meeting – will bear in mind the dates you will be away. : – ) Also hoping to catch Ines at some point!
I look forward to your visit!
Posting regularly makes me feel good, like I have accomplished something a little more intellectual than changing a diaper (although I am awesome at that! 😉 ).
We are having a quiet summer this year while my oldest is at a summer camp. The girls and I have been going to the YMCA pool as much as possible. School here in North Carolina starts about mid-August, so it goes quickly! Today we are heading to a Fourth of July cookout for fun and fireworks.
My husband was in Summer Camp in America, so we plan to let our boys go too, when they are old enough, which means I get to spend summers in the US too. Can’t wait!
I hope you had a lovely day yesterday, Kathy!
I’m impressed–I can’t even manage every other day posts when not on vacation! I echo the others in their gratitude and excitement for your Italy travelogue.
Our biggest trip for the summer is to Rwanda–my husband leaves this week, and I’ll join him in August. We do plan to see the gorillas; surely there will be smells to report from the rainforest!
Wow, Rwanda There surely are adventures ahead of you! Have a safe trip!
Swimming, for sure! And cycling! It’s been cold here in eastern Canada. I loved your picture of Western Canada-I worked in Lake Louise, years ago. The glaciers, the lakes, the mountains-everyone should get to experience it! I hope you have a really lovely vacation, and I look forward to reading about your scents and your travels!
Canada must be so beautiful, I know only very little of the country, sadly. But I plan to change that in the future.
I will do my best reporting back from Italy. 🙂
I will be missing your posts every other day! (a crying smiley)
I hope you’ll enjoy your summer and will have a great trip.
For me… We just came back from a short trip. No special plans until late September but since here in North California the weather is nice most of the time I do not feel like I need a vacation specifically during summer months.
Seeing as it is now, we’ll be easing into the every other day schedule slowly. 😉 And come September I’ll be back to form.
I love the climate in northern California, always a little breeze.
There is much more in here to love! If you ever decide to come here let me know: my vSO and I are offering the whole range of “services” to our friends – from just recommendations to guided tours 😉
That is very good to know, thank you!!!
I will be leaving for a week in Portugal in a few days and I will be two weeks in China in the second half of August. Otherwise, I hope to enjoy Vienna’s charm in Summer, and maybe hop over to Salzburg for some wandern for a couple of days.
China – that must be a very interesting trip! Your summer sounds good, Miguel! 🙂
Going to Helsinki for a couple of days next week – apparently lots of interesting architecture and culture for a stressed-out, sedate middle-aged tourist like myself 😉 After that a mixture of doing as little as possible, getting up in the morning and only having to make one decision: which book to read, visiting friends in their summer house, perhaps visiting friends in other parts of the country, sleeping whenever the need presents itself.
Will be looking forward to road trip posts – love those and the every-other-day posts as well – don’t worry 🙂
That sounds exactly like what I would do, if the possibility arose. Enjoy your vacation, Marie! You earned it!