natjtan I hope you’re having a great weekend! Here’s nice and hot so you know where I’ll be this weekend when not running, working out or doing chores. La Playa!
As I’ve missed the last 2 Weekend Friday Favourites, I’ll try to keep this one short and sweet of things that have caught my eye this week, made me smile or latest obsession.
For the amount of time I’ve been here my Spanish is up to what it should be. I didn’t want to go back to a classroom while it’s still warm to learn it and I wanted something that fitted in with my schedule. Then I remember I had previously down loaded and started Duolingo app on my phone. I’ve heard good reviews about it so I thought why not. It’s free, easy to use and I can do it when I want. Normally at the beach! Lessons take around 10 minutes and I’m already noticing an improvement. I’m itching to get passed what I already know and I’m surprised at how much I know. I’ve so far hardly had to tap words for translation. The only issue I have is I think it’s South American or American Spanish as there are some grammar differences. For instance I say zumo for juice instead of jugo, likewise for both, los dos, not ambos. That aside it’s a great in your own time and pace app for learning a language.
This is what happens when you watch too many YouTube beauty tutorials. You buy a Beauty Blender. They’ve only just this summer been available in Spain in Sephora. You can get cheaper versions, but I wanted to try the original and I never thought to order it on online. It was only when I saw it in Sephora, I was okay, lets see if it’s worth the price tag. As I use a cushion compact for foundation/bb cream I use it for under eye concealer and anywhere else that needs concealing. I was sceptical at first, however I find its blends better than a brush and now I’m a devotee! Next purchase however will be from Amazon. Sephora charges way too much!
AJ and D
They’ve been superstars with the heat and humidity this week. I put a freezer pack wrapped in a tea towel behind the sofa where they like to beat the heat and AJ’s been cooling his back paws on it while he naps. The sofa’s still the afternoon spot and D’s been sleeping on my shorts. Some days as soon as I open my wardrobe he’s in there. They need to smell right!
I did a mini Kon Mari tidying with my jewellery a few weeks ago and found some white bugs in the box I was using as a jewellery box. Perhaps a decorative cut out box isn’t the best for jewellery. Zara Home is the only place I know that has contemporary jewellery boxes. After selecting and retuning a white one that blended into the white countertop, I went for a gold metallic wooden box. I like how it breaks up the white and I can still use old jewellery boxes inside as dividers.
Beach Sunsets and Reverse Sunsets Cycling Back
I don’t like it gets dark around 8.30pm or that soon the sun will set around 5.30pm. In the meantime I’m enjoying while I can cycling back in the dark in just shorts and t-shirt. No layers yet!
Hibiscus Flowers
My favourite flowers have been out at the zoo!
After seeing these feature on Tone It Up’s new surfer workout I had to try them out. Okay retry them out as I’ve done them a few times before. Instead of doing cross fit pushups to squat this week I swapped them for surfer burpees. I like that they target the obliques in addition to everything else!
Internet Finds
Orphaned raccoon finds perfect foster home. He’s too cute!
The dog called Racoon, beaten by a plank for eating cat food becomes a foster failure. His foster hoomins adopted him!
The bitter life story of a captive orangutan. She’s an excellent knot maker! Nat Geo
One more reason why dogs are more like us than we thought. Nat Geo
Ultra marathon runner reunion with stray dog. Gobi the stray ran most of the 250km Gobi desert run with his now hoomin.
Why Barak Obama is visiting a tiny island in the Pacific. Barak Obama has increased the size of this Hawaiian marine reserve which is great news making it the largest marine park in the world. However sadly most of the birds on the Midway atoll eat plastic and many die from trying to digest it. I never knew (or thought that it was that much) that 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the worlds oceans. That’s with recycling.
New Elephant study shows decline in African elephants
Dog found alive after trapped for 9 days in the Italian earthquake. CNN here. BBC here.
Search dogs in the Italian earthquake
Vast doughnut shaped reef found in Australia
What’s been making you smile this week? Have a great weekend!
Duo lingo and Surfer burpee images courtesy of Google Image
C. also uses Duolingo to study Spanish (although not much lately) and my dad uses it for English, haha.
It’s great! Especially if you don’t want to pay for lessons! I want to know where the funding comes from as it’s free!
Are there advertisements inside? Or “premium” lessons?
No ads and no premium lessons I’m aware of. No idea how they make their money!
Interesting. Maybe they are a charity for people who can’t speak foreign languages good and wanna learn to do other stuff good too xDD
That sound’s way too good to be true! I’ll have to do some research!
Correction, stupid question either way for me to ask.