Travel Does That
I havent been able to get my head around writing a blog post this week. Ive been lost in the no mans land of jet lag, end of holiday melancholy and snuffling and sneezing my way through a ripper of a head cold. Our lovely month away has disappeared in a never ending pile of post travel washing, a neglected house and garden and the inevitable routine of home life.
...and I want to have a tantrum. A foot stamping, I don't want to play this game anymore, wobbly.
Travel does that. My eyes have been opened to the mess in my cupboards, the clutter of too many belongings (to which I have added another two suitcases of stuff) ; the ties of our delightful fur children and the constraints of needing to educate our girls and it has left me feeling momentarily numb. Don't worry, I know this is temporary...it happens to me after every holiday.
The funny thing is...I love my home, my pets, the normality of life as we know it. I'm a true homebody and not very adventurous, but the joy that comes from seeing new places and scenery, smelling different air and viewing the world through another culture is so, so rewarding and I want more of it, or at least more often than our average of every 2 years for an overseas holiday and certainly more often than the 17 years it has taken us to get back to the UK.
Slap in the face reality? We live in Australia...a million miles from anywhere except Asia; it costs a small fortune to place 4 bums in aircraft seats and, guess what? We cant travel all the time. Money needs to be made, kids need school. Life needs to be lived...daily...in our homes, amidst the mess and bills and never ending dullness of housework and somehow we need to make this daily existence as beautiful and enjoyable and simple as we can.
I fail often at this. Often. Perfectionism can never be met just by thinking about it. So, when my head clears from the fogginess of this head cold, I plan on getting back into the enjoyment of being home; daily walks with fur child, getting back into my studio and stuck into this years painting projects; getting the girl's back to school and dreaming of and planning future jaunts around this wonderful planet of ours. Saving some money may also help...its been a very expensive month.
I feel so blessed. We can travel. We do travel...which is more than many can ever dream of and I feel like a Princess to have this at my fingertips, especially with my brother now working for Emirates. I will look back on my photos from the last month and remember our amazing time, every detail imprinted into my memory and brought back to life through the joy of photography.
There is still so much I want to write about our trip...stories, thoughts and photos need to be shared. I bought a new laptop this week...my old one is on its last legs and is running so hot, that I've expected a spontaneous combustion of it, or me, at any moment. Once the data is transferred...watch out! There may be a whole series of posts once I see my photos on a real computer and not just on the iPad!
Watch this space...Editing and Digital photo albums are still to be made. A new computer system needs to be learnt...Apple Mac. Thank goodness for a 'know it all', just turned 'Sweet Sixteen' year old in the house. This Ol' brain is going to need all the help it can get!!
Mia x
