We are entering into our final 2 weeks of preparation for leaving the UK and although it’s starting to get us all excited for what’s to come we’re also slightly overwhelmed with everything we still have left to do, I guess that’s always the way? Philosophically I guess you could say that whatever doesn’t get done probably won’t matter in the long run… But right now it’s a maelstrom of lists, jobs, sorting, packing, selling and researching, all alongside the normal day to day of standard family life. You know, eternal discussions with small humans over the merits of actually getting dressed for school, that sleep is generally important, ‘no, ice cream doesn’t constitute a balanced diet’ and whether or not teeth brushing is in fact an abstract concept.
The current ‘loft pile’, there have been numerous editions of this… Stuff we are keeping that needs storing. Organised chaos.
I guess it’s many of these normal patterns that have led us to take the step of upping sticks and to do what we’re doing. We’re under no illusions that the next year won’t pose challenges, but to escape the status quo and show our kids that the world is a vast rock on which to learn, with many and varied possibilities, has been calling for some time.
Me and Nikki have talked about travelling since we first met over 11 years ago, and ever since we’ve had children we’ve wanted to travel with them. There’s always been reasons why it wasn’t possible, Until now.
On of the main drivers for us actually going through with this was Tigerlilly. How to describe Tigerlilly… She was our dog, yes, but more than that she was the heart of our family. She’d been with Nikki since she was 8 weeks old, and I met her before I ever met nikki. One cold winter night, she let herself into the caravan that I lived in and brushed past me and straight onto my sofa! She was around 18 months old then and what followed is the journey to where we are now. I could write a whole book about Tigerlilly.. But that’s not what this is about.
In December of last year, she passed away after a brief illness. It’s left a hole in our family that won’t be filled, but it did give us the freedom to realise our travelling dreams. As much as I’d give anything to have that lurcher sat snoozing next to me as I write this, her passing meant that we had no excuses left… The travelling we’d always talked about doing was obtainable and it was now or never. She’ll be with us all as we travel round the world… She was nothing short of the finest.
Tigerlilly the (Rain)Deerhound lurcher.
So as we carry on with the relentless sorting and organising I’ll wrap this first post up. My back has decided to go at the worst possible time, but it’s actually presented me with an opportunity to get this blog off the ground. I know nothing about blog writing or website creation so hopefully it’s another thing I can learn and improve on the road! I thought I’d finish each entry with a tune… A sort of reward for you managing to read to the end. I’ll start with a song that has always made me want to travel and see the world…
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