Category: Musings

Goodbye 2017 … Hello 2018

A review of the things that went well in 2017 and what I want to get even better in 2018.

Did 2017 seem to fly by as quickly for you as it did for me? As I’m preparing and planning for 2018 I’ve realised that most of my planning is actually what I was planning on doing in 2017, but never got round to. Not because I couldn’t be bothered, but because it seems like the whole year has gone by in a blink and I had so much going on I barely had time to think about my action list let alone act on it.

Maybe the year went so fast because lots of good things happened and I seemed to be leaping from one good thing to the next. There is definitely truth in the saying ‘time flies when you’re having fun’. Continue reading “Goodbye 2017 … Hello 2018”

Why I’m Going to Shetland and Not Walking the Camino

I’d planned to spend the summer in the sun walking the Camino de Santiago. Instead I’m sitting on a ferry taking me to Shetland and all the weather the North Atlantic can throw at me.

Note: I wrote this post on my way to Shetland several weeks ago, but due to dodgy internet haven’t been able to post it until now. I haven’t changed the wording – this is what I was thinking as I sat on the ferry sailing out of Aberdeen on the eve of my birthday.

I’m typing this sitting in the cafeteria of the Hjaltland peering out at a grey sea and a grey sea mist. On the drive here hailstones battered my van; small ones, but lumps of ice none the less.

I should be on a plane flying to the Pyrenees and preparing to spend a summer in the sun. Yet once again I’ve packed my fleeces and my waterproofs and headed north. Continue reading “Why I’m Going to Shetland and Not Walking the Camino”

Reflections on 50 – life goals

As it gets closer to my BIG birthday I’m reflecting on life before 50 and wondering what life after 50 will be like.

In a few short months I’ll be turning 50.

I haven’t got used to the idea of being 40 yet, so 50 seems like something that isn’t really happening to me – it’s happening to some other version of myself in a parallel universe.

When I read an article in a newspaper for example, and it says something like, ‘Jane Brown, 43, did blah blah blah’, my first thought will often be, Continue reading “Reflections on 50 – life goals”

Latin America – A Big Fat Blank in My Knowledge and Experience

When it comes to Latin America I’m completely lacking in knowledge and experience. I need to rectify this.

I like to feel worldly. I’ve travelled a lot, read a lot about different countries, watched a lot of films about different countries, tried the food from many different countries, even studied many different countries. Basically what I’m trying to say (in case you haven’t figured it out) is that I’m knowledgeable about a lot of countries and have direct experience of a lot of countries.

But then there’s Latin America. Continue reading “Latin America – A Big Fat Blank in My Knowledge and Experience”

Looking Back on 2016

2016 was a strange year in many ways, but I did have four big wins.

The web is full of bloggers reviewing 2016 at the moment, so I thought I might as well jump on the bandwagon and write a review post too. Continue reading “Looking Back on 2016”

Swissport Strike vs My Socialist Principles

Swissport workers are going on strike and I’m in danger of becoming a NIMBY.

I’ve always supported striking workers. I’ve been on strike myself. I know that no-one strikes easily and workers have to be really pushed and feel they have run out of other options before resorting to withdrawing their labour. Continue reading “Swissport Strike vs My Socialist Principles”