From Hampton to Southampton

It’s been nearly a year since I packed up my life in Melbourne and flew to the UK.  Hard to believe. The time has flown and yet looking back over the year, I’ve managed to do A LOT!  I remember those last few manic weeks before leaving.  Finishing up at work and literally throwing away everything I owned except for a few sentimental bits and pieces that I put into storage.  It wasn’t easy and there were many WTF am I doing moments.  So many memories and dreams all thrown away.  I’d been talking about downsizing and minimising and suddenly there I was completely free. And unemployed.  Gulp, a little scary but it was time to spread my wings and fly away.

It was a little sad leaving my little house by the bay with my amazing Neighbours.  Mixed emotions.  The last home my beautiful Lucas and Lola knew.  But the last year filled with way too much hurt, pain, and anger to remain.

I arrived on a sunny day in London (yep, clear blue sky and gorgeous sunshine), 27 February 2022 and made my way down to Southampton.  First couple of weeks were spent catching up with cousins and playing tourist.  Lesson number one, it doesn’t rain or is anywhere near as cold as I’d expected it to be. 

Aussie Magpie v Eurasion Magpie

Way back BC (before covid) I decided “Never Stop Learning” needed to be a thing (dementia be gone).  One of the things I had on the things to learn list was to name 20 of Melbourne’s most common birds.  List in hand, off I went for a bit of bird spotting and even went along on a bird watching walk at a local park. I did a little story and then promptly forgot. Whilst in Africa recently, my interest was renewed.   Maybe it’s an age thing.  First you get into growing tomatoes and then you move on to bird watching. Hmm, what comes next? Maybe bingo or bowls.

Now in the UK, I figured time to learn a bit about our local feathered friends.  I found two second handbooks on birds and got myself a new pair of binoculars (old pair MIA).  Bird watching seems to be a popular past time here and lots of people put out food. Living on the 2^nd floor provides limited opportunities for placing bird feeders in trees, but I’ve attached a feeding station to the window, so hopeful that once the trees bloom they’ll pop by.  

El Camino

I can’t remember when the idea to walk the Camino popped into my head, but one day, boom, there it was, another crazy idea. I watched the movie “The Way” and read several books and that was it, I was going to walk the Camino for my 60th - years away! 

After the annus horribilis that was 2021 and the decision to pack up my life and move overseas, walking the Camino in 2022 all of a sudden became something that I had to do – a calling of sorts. When I say The Camino, I am referring to the most famous route, the Camino Frances – walking from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago, a journey of 800km. 

After a 2 year hiatus, the 2023 list is here!

It started off as 31 things to do in the month I turned 50 and then became 50 things to do in the year I turned 50.  Before long, there were over 100 things on that 2015 list and little sub lists had popped up like mushrooms all over the place.  I jotted stuff down stuff on bits of paper, in notebooks (I have a notebook fetish, I am not alone) and friends provided me with ideas to add.

I soon realised that adding things to those lists was half the fun.  So having decided to start up the lists again, I started where I'd left off for 2021.  Not only was 2021 a crap year, but the 2021 list was a sad and sorry sight.  17 out of 44 things completed - maybe not so bad considering lockdowns. 

But I learnt some valuable things.  For a start, I don't particularly like cooking, so why the hell would I want to cook through a cook book? I tried making a mosaic piece - ended up frustrated and didn't really enjoy it, so now I know that I'm not the artsy/crafty type.  

I wanted to learn a musical instrument.  So I got myself a guitar, booked in for some lessons and failed miserably. Arthritis in the fingers and a sore neck - no excuse. Maybe I need to find something easier - like my old school recorder (I think I could still manage "Three Blind Mice") or maybe the triangle? 

And as for picking up Frech again, being fluent in Spanish is good enough for me.

Whale watching on the 31st of July each year was a special thing.  Well I still love whales, the date is now insignificant, but I still want to see whales at any time of the year! 

2 years later........

 2021 was a crap year.  

With Covid still hanging still over our heads, the year started off OK and then went downhill rapidly - much like this blog. But two years later, I've decided to start again.  And while this platform no longer suits, it will do until I finish setting a new one up. 

2021, the signs were all there, but I refused to see that my marriage was well and truly over. I think it took losing my baby girl Lola, who crossed the rainbow bridge on 12 March to join Lucas, to finally hit rock bottom and see the reality.  Even then, the rose coloured glasses only came off when the whole sordid truth finally came out. Red flags never turn green. 

So I was free.  Yes, there were tears, pain, anger, resentment, grief and alcohol. Way too much alcohol to numb the pain and forget.