29th until 4th of Jul 2026 Sat 4 Jul 2026, 7:18:22 pm CET We are now already in the month of July, and the summer is in full swing. The weather has been swinging between hot and cold, windy and calm. If we see the forecast for the next week, the heat is coming back. There were some warm days and then evening with fresh air in the evenings. Like yesterday when we were out with great friends, it started out warm and sunny, but then in the late evening, it got fresh and windy. But it was a great evening with good food, drinks and company. I enjoyed a nice Tuna filet with the best beer in the world, the Westmalle triple. I can NOT believe that we are going on holiday on Tuesday. We have been planning it for a long time, not sure when it was, but it was long enough to forget all about the details. This weekend we are rediscovering the details and making sure we have everything ready for the trip . It is a nice rediscovery! On Tuesday we are driving to the Zaventem - Brussels - Belgium airport to catch our flight to the Azores. We have booked two Airbnb houses and a rental car for the entire trip. That will be really great to relax and chill out for a week on each stay (I hope the tobacco plants will be doing well). We are going to the islands of São Miguel, the biggest of the islands. We are there for two weeks in total and then a couple of days in Porto, Portugal before we fly back home. Yesterday, was a busy work day, as always the days before a holiday. Monday is my last day, I will work to the very last minute, and then I will be on holiday for two and a half weeks. Monday will be a VERY busy day, I have to finish a lot of things before I can leave for the holiday. One of the most important tasks is completing and sending out the quarterly newsletter. I like the task of layout and designing the newsletter, but the challenge is to get all the content in time from all the contributors. But at the same time that is also an interesting challenge, and I like to be challenged. Today we spent the day with a lot of chores and doing some preparations for the holiday. There will also be two birthdays to celebrate during the holiday, so I have done some preparations for that as well. Every year we celebrate the birthdays of my wife during holiday, this year is not an exception. It is an extra challenge to smuggle the birthday presents in the luggage, but I have done it before and I will do it again. Tomorrow we will continue the final chores and preparations for the holiday. The plan is to pack all the luggage to have it completely ready for the trip. All the administration stuff were - more or less - done today. I am sure I have forgotten something, but we will see tomorrow.... or so. I have to stop here, I had so much more to say, but now it is dinner time. And family movie evening time. Of course that has priority. Let's see if I will get some time to write more before the holiday starts. Oh...today is the 4th of July, the American Independence Day. Not that it means anything to me, but it is a day to celebrate for the Americans. Just thought I would mention it... Did you know that..? I try to find an interesting historical event that occurred on this day. Sat 4 Jul 2026, 7:18:22 pm CET Did you know that today in 1584 is when Philip Amadas Read more about it on Wikipedia. and Arthur Barlowe arrive at Roanoke Island. Navigate back!