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post originally from September 1st 2015
I got the blues. Nothing serious. In fact, as Tracy Thorn sang in The Paris Match (her collaborative efforts with The Style Council), 'I'm only sad in a natural way and I enjoy sometimes feeling this way.' I am certain that this overcast day has had something to do with it, but I have indeed caught a bit of the end of the summer blues. The initial hope that I had held onto after seeing that it was yet another green flag day in Porto Novo during my morning walk eventually faded as the afternoon wore on and the clouds refused to lift.
Oh well...I really can't complain. Two days in a row, we enjoyed not only a green flag day at Porto Novo (one of our local beaches) but an ocean that was like swimming in a pool. For anyone who is familiar with our coastline, green flags are not an everyday occurrence. Oceans that are as calm as a lake are even less common. We were blessed with both. Even the days preceding were good for a swim.
I enjoyed the swims of the last two days in particular because Cláudia, Evan, and I could all be out there in the water - playing, swimming, floating - together, yet separately. In other words, I didn't have to keep hold of Evan's hand or be overly-vigilant. I normally have to be, especially with a fearless seven year old at my side. In fact, the last two days were particularly special as we were able to allow Evan to go out on her own. Due to my recent thyroidectomy, I could only take advantage of the water for so long even wearing my UV protection swim shirt. I have to take it easy.
So it was extra special seeing Evan out there divng and exploring with her little pink googles on. She kept comng up and showing us all her finds - seaweed and shells. She likes to bring a lot of the seaweed home to hang up on what is now known as our seaweed tree. We actually give names to most of our pieces before they are given a place on the tree. Running in and out of the water, she enjoyed these past couple of days so much. My heart felt very full just watching her. It was also nice just being able to relax with Cláudia as we watched our daughter frolicking in the water.
-Courtney How
I got the blues. Nothing serious. In fact, as Tracy Thorn sang in The Paris Match (her collaborative efforts with The Style Council), 'I'm only sad in a natural way and I enjoy sometimes feeling this way.' I am certain that this overcast day has had something to do with it, but I have indeed caught a bit of the end of the summer blues. The initial hope that I had held onto after seeing that it was yet another green flag day in Porto Novo during my morning walk eventually faded as the afternoon wore on and the clouds refused to lift.
Oh well...I really can't complain. Two days in a row, we enjoyed not only a green flag day at Porto Novo (one of our local beaches) but an ocean that was like swimming in a pool. For anyone who is familiar with our coastline, green flags are not an everyday occurrence. Oceans that are as calm as a lake are even less common. We were blessed with both. Even the days preceding were good for a swim.
I enjoyed the swims of the last two days in particular because Cláudia, Evan, and I could all be out there in the water - playing, swimming, floating - together, yet separately. In other words, I didn't have to keep hold of Evan's hand or be overly-vigilant. I normally have to be, especially with a fearless seven year old at my side. In fact, the last two days were particularly special as we were able to allow Evan to go out on her own. Due to my recent thyroidectomy, I could only take advantage of the water for so long even wearing my UV protection swim shirt. I have to take it easy.
So it was extra special seeing Evan out there divng and exploring with her little pink googles on. She kept comng up and showing us all her finds - seaweed and shells. She likes to bring a lot of the seaweed home to hang up on what is now known as our seaweed tree. We actually give names to most of our pieces before they are given a place on the tree. Running in and out of the water, she enjoyed these past couple of days so much. My heart felt very full just watching her. It was also nice just being able to relax with Cláudia as we watched our daughter frolicking in the water.
-Courtney How