Saturday 27 December 2014

Almost 30

One day...
Yes, I've got the white hairs, the back pain, the long term partner. I must be nearing my 30's. But what to expect from this new decade? I read somewhere that people are 'happiest' at the age of 38.  It seems to be mostly related to financial stability and the thought of 'achieving' one's life goals. But surely being happy in life isn't just about money. 

Perhaps it's the idea that happiness comes from moving forward in life. In my teens it was all about achieving good grades and getting into university. My twenties it was about discovering love and developing self confidence. With this new-found self confidence and this strong love to support me, I hope my thirties will be able bring new life experiences and a house of my own. 

I'm working really hard at the moment with the one goal in mind. To go back to Sydney and buy that Bondi beach pad with an ocean view. For me, that and all it entails, will make a good decade. The lovely sun-drenched afternoons in the water. There's a sense of freedom in that. But it'll be a hard few years to get there. It's one of the reasons why we're staying an extra three years in London. To save more and experience more of the world before we consider 'settling down'.

And that's what London is for. It's a place where everything moves fast. The capacity for change and progression is larger and you can do it all here. But we'll tire of it sooner or later and head for home at some time. Where then we can grow and mature in other ways. Not just the beach pad but hopefully more travels (3 months in Japan Kevin?). Maybe a job relocation to a new city for a year (fingers crossed it's NYC).  Perhaps children (!), OK maybe child. Definitely fur babies.

It seems like life is now pulling me in all directions and to be honest, I kind of want it all. Maybe that's the motto for my thirties  - having it all. Otherwise known as the 'dirty thirties'. 

Monday 8 December 2014

It Doesn't Get Anymore English than the Cotswolds

OK so after my last post I think it was pretty obvious that I was getting a little bit worn out by London. So with an impending 3 day weekend coming up it was time for a spontaneous trip away. To the Cotswolds! What are the Cotswolds and why do people go there? Well I wasn't quite sure of this myself before embarking on this trip, hence the spontaneous part. 

We started off with a short visit to Oxford, just to check out the town and look at the lovely old buildings and well manicured grass. Though it was slightly less so after we witnessed a rather disheveled man allowing his massive staffy x mastiff to playfully run all over that 'do no walk on grass' area. He got told off by some passer-by's in which he promptly told them to 'F-off'. The dog was having the time of his life.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at Waddeson Manor in Aylsebury, which not only was a beautiful and bloody massive building itself, but also had a cute Christmas fair on the side offering my new favourite treat - a toasty mulled cider and a cool light exhibition which was quite a cool thing in a old school kind of setting.



The following two days we spent in the Cotswolds themselves. The best way to describe this experience is 'cute'. Our airbnb with it's quaint English garden overlooking the rolling hillsides of Malvern. Me with a cup of tea and a neighbourhood cat enjoying the sun on the porch. Sitting with Kevin for hours in front of a roaring fire. Visiting Lower and Upper Slaughter, Stow-on-the-Wold, having tea at Badger's Hall in Chipping Camden, trout spotting in the clear streams of Bibury. The sun was shining, the temperature brisk, the general population greying, oh it felt like we were world's away from the harsh reality of London. I was living my own Jane Austen novel. With instagram.





Yes I very much enjoyed my trip to the Cotswolds. I'm all villaged out at the moment but I've got sights on other English novelties like visiting the puffins on Farne Island and there's place in Wales where you jump on giant trampolines in a giant cave. I guess it's not so bad here after all.

This is a puffin and yes I would pay so much to see it do that in real life.

Giant trampolines + cave = FUN!