On a recent trip to Ullapool, on the stunning west coast of Scotland, with Amanda and her sister Rosie, we discovered a lovely little cafe and gift shop in Aultbea.
It was open on a Sunday, had great coffee, friendly staff and a lovely new wool beanie for Amanda.
It also had a desk organiser for sale with a brass plaque on it that read: “What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.”
I thought it was a brilliant phrase and something that we all should be reminded of every time we sit down to write anything, from a post card to an email to a blog. So here I am using that inspiration and, once again, putting in some effort to continue with my sporadic blog!
Where do I start? How about with the news, albeit old news for some, that Amanda and I are moving to New Zealand. Moving to the other side of the world is really quite an adventure! It also has so many challenges and little bits and pieces to think about. I am so looking forward to it though.
I have missed the mountains, snow, long hard days, camping, messing about in boats and coming home for a hot bath and a well earned meal. I’m ready for community, for new friends, for fresh scenery and the chance to explore in every area of life!
The best bit about this, I get to do all of it with my best friend and wife, Amanda.
We have 32 days left in the UK before our flight leaves for the Southern Hemisphere and into our newest and biggest adventure. In this short time we are: working, going to Ireland for a long weekend, dog sitting, packing up stuff to send on before us, packing up the rest for storage, a leaving do, a ruby wedding anniversary, various goodbyes and hopefully a doner kebab somewhere in there too.
I don’t believe Amanda when she says that they have kebab shops in NZ, surely nothing like they have over here anyway!
Scotland has been amazing and I have met so many wonderful people, people who are permanently part of my life no matter what. I have seen so many fantastic places, places that every other place will be compared too. And I have had a few jobs that have given my great skills and abilities that have set me up for whatever it is I will be doing next. What that will be, I’m not sure as we still aren’t 100% sure exactly where we will be.
We are going to be on the North Island of New Zealand and most likely will be living in Hamilton, where Amanda will be based for work. We are both looking forward to being city based and having easy access to culture, church, pubs, people and a bit of hustle and bustle. I really want to be proactive and not procrastinate with my blog as a creative outlet, a means to share stories and to document a lot of what goes on in our lives over the next few years. It is with fresh inspiration and intent that I start writing again. I will have time to do this for the first few weeks on arrival as I currently don’t have a job lined up but even when I do and my schedule starts to fill up with other things such as church, going out for coffee or climbing a mountain, I want to make sure writing doesn’t get squeezed out of that time management plan!
I am interested to see how I balance the move with looking forward and moving forward but also remembering where I have come from and with whom I have shared this amazing journey, called life, so far.
Thank you to those of you who read my blogs and encourage me, and to those of you who read the occasional blog or are starting on this journey with me, welcome and I hope you enjoy the ride!
Saturday strolls on Lossiemouth’s East Beach
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