Tuesday, 4th of August 2026

Hi everyone,

First of all, thank you so much for all your messages! Honestly, there’s no drama at all. Everything’s absolutely fine. We’re doing really well and life is good. So please don’t worry about us – we’re genuinely happy.

For the time being, I’ll keep the blog going. I even renewed the domain for another two years because it worked out cheaper that way. The only problem is still the same, though: not a great deal actually happens in our lives. Even after almost four years of living here, thousands of miles away from Europe, everyday life has simply become… well, everyday life.

So tell me – what would you like me to write about? What do you actually enjoy reading?

This Tuesday started at five in the morning. First things first, then a proper cup of coffee while catching up on the international news.

From six until seven I did my usual morning swim in the pool. No Apple Watch, just my trusty waterproof Seiko GMT. I still rather like an old-fashioned watch.

After that I picked up our drinking water, then ordered a Grab to Opus Mall and bought everything we needed for breakfast at Marketplace. Breakfast is really the only meal that’s still unmistakably European. For the rest of the day we eat Filipino food, just as we have for years now.

While I was there I also picked up two little bottles of Merlot and some kimchi. I absolutely adore kimchi.

Then I stopped by the post room to collect a new A5 leather cover for my journals. Sometimes I still can’t believe how inexpensive things can be here… although at those prices you do start wondering what exactly the leather used to belong to…

On the way back I popped into our local konbini for crisps and some ice cream for this evening. They’re essential supplies for a good night of streaming.

And that, believe it or not, was the highlight of my day.

Actually, that’s not quite true. The swim this morning was wonderful. It’s the rainy season now, so it was absolutely chucking it down. Somehow that makes swimming even more relaxing.

I swim every morning for two reasons. One is to keep my weight steady, which works brilliantly. The other is simply to clear my head. Swimming endless lengths while listening to the wind, the rain and the gentle sound of the water is probably the closest thing I have to meditation. For that one hour I completely switch off from the world. If I’ve woken up feeling irritated or frustrated, it’s usually disappeared by the time I climb out of the pool.

I also stocked up on notebooks again. I honestly think I’ve got enough paper to last me until at least 2030. I’m rather fond of Japanese notebooks, especially those from MD Paper Products, or anything made with the wonderful Tomoe River paper and a proper lay-flat binding. Writing with a fountain pen on paper like that is pure bliss.

As for the rest of today, we’ll probably spend the evening streaming. First some true crime—my husband firmly believes there should always be at least a little murder on the television—and afterwards a Korean mini-series, while I’ll happily admire yet another cast of impossibly handsome, perfectly groomed Korean actors…

Anyway, I’m sending you all my very best from the Philippines. I hope life is treating you kindly wherever you are.

And please do send me your ideas. What would you actually like to read about here? Everyday life? Life in the Philippines? Food? Culture? The little things that surprise us? Or simply more slices of our rather ordinary life on the other side of the world?