A year ago today I was in New South Wales, enjoying great hospitality and lots of new experiences. I had just spent a memorable couple of weeks exploring Tasmania and was about to drive across to Broken Hill and on to Adelaide: and it would not be the boring journey so many predicted: I loved it. Many discoveries lay ahead: the variety that is Australia; the beauty and the constant reminders that ours is a living planet that are so awe-inspiring in New Zealand. Today, I’m back in the south-east of England, enjoying more discoveries and a new lifestyle in a new community. No regrets!
It still amazes me that so much has happened in so short a time. When I arrived at Heathrow in mid-April, greeted by the smiling faces of friends I knew nothing of what lay ahead. I knew what I HOPED for, but who would have believed that my house would sell in just FIVE days, making it possible to move so easily to a new area or that the very house I had followed on the internet would be available just when I was ready for it. But that has been my story – a few months of buying furniture, waiting for it to be delivered and then being able to enjoy my new home and to share it with others as longtime friendships are renewed and new ones established. More money spent than I ever expected to own, comments made by others about their own financial expectations and a realisation of how much I have has made me realise just how little some others have and I’m beginning to look for ways in which I can be pro-active in improving their situation. I have no doubt there is something waiting for me – and it’ll be worth waiting for!
A visit to Virginia Water recently reminded me of childhood and rustling through leaves on the way to school as we rustled through the autumn leaves and appreciated their glorious colours. I’ve missed them.
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There are signs that life is falling into normality. I’m able to stop long enough to sit in front of the computer for hours (even days if necessary!) and have begun to learn the joys of creating photobooks. My first attempt can be found at http://www.photobox.co.uk/creation/976027294. It’s a collection of photographic memories reflecting the places I’ve been privileged to see during the past eight years in Asia. Praise be for digital cameras!!
Living the Journey 