The Trips of a Lifetime

Earlier this year, I made the difficult decision to quit my full-time teaching job at a primary school in West London. It was a good job: lovely people, great location and pretty well-paid. But I just wasn’t happy anymore. I’d been teaching for twelve years by this point (11 years as a full-time teacher and some supply work when I went travelling for six months) and as much as I loved being in my classroom with my children, it just wasn’t the job that I’d started when I’d left university at 21, all fresh-faced and eager. “It must be such a nice job,” people always said to me. But the niceness was being squeezed out. When I had to choose doing a Maths assessment over making Christmas decorations in the week before the holidays, I knew something had to change for me. So, I quit.

Vasa Museet

As promised, here is my round-up of Stockholm’s bestest museums and galleries…

First up, the Vasa Museum!

A Weekend of Culture in Stockholm

This week I was lucky enough to spend a long weekend in Stockholm, visiting my friend Marie and soaking up some culture. The weather was cold but thankfully the sun shone and the only time rain fell, I was safely inside a little cafe, warming up with a hot chocolate and a cinnamon bun.

A Spanish Obsession

So, I spent last week holidaying in the gorgeously hot and sunny Altea on the Costa Blanca in Spain and I think that I may just have developed ateeny obsession.

Back on the (Diet!) Wagon Again!

Ok, so my diet didn't exactly get off to the best of starts. I think that (maybe) I managed to stick to it for about four days before the chocolate call just got too loud and I caved. And my clothes feel suspiciously tighter than this time last month (when I supposedly started my diet). And definitely tighter than this time last year. But all is not lost! I have started again, with renewed focus and renewed vigour! This time next month, I will be lying on a beach in Spain. In a bikini. Next to my Size Ten sister. And if that isn't enough to keep the diet focused, then I don't know what is! I mean, surely, SURELY, I can manage to diet for four and a half weeks?! Fingers crossed (and lips tightly shut!)....

Galveston

We left Houston the morning of Easter Sunday and arrived in Galveston a little after midday. It was pretty overcast and, as every weather forecast we’d heard that morning had threatened heavy rain, we figured we best make the most of the dry weather whilst it lasted. So, reasoning we’d only have an hour tops before the heavens opened and not wanting to waste any precious sun-bathing time by applying sunscreen, we dumped our bags in the motel and headed for the beach.

Texas: The First Leg

On Friday 29th March, after nearly twenty hours of being awake (and having been travelling for most of them) Lisa, Clare and I arrived at our hotel in Downtown Houston. Rather than taking the sensible option and heading straight to bed, we decided to head out to the local bar, across the road from our hotel, and toast the start of our Texan road trip with a quick drink. And so, without even wasting time on freshening up, we headed out into the night….

An Observation

Americans are real friendly.

Fact.

Planning for a Plan

Today we celebrated World Book Day at school. As part of the celebrations, the children and I watched ‘The Biggest Book Show in the World’ online and on Tuesday we were visited by a well-known children’s author. And I have been inspired. I feel that, with some focus, I can be an author. The author visit was particularly inspiring. Not because of the pearls of wisdom he had to impart on the children but, well, because I thought if he can bloody do it, then so can I!

A Musing....

Today was glorious! The sun shone and made my heart feel glad! Nothing makes me more content than closing my eyes and feeling the sun’s warming rays on my face!

The sun shone today. And, for the first time in months, I felt the sense of hope that only sunshine and the promise of summer can bring. Despite the fact that I’m fed up with the way my life is headed or rather, with the way it’s not headed, I feel positive. I have felt stuck for so long now and I’m ready to feel free. Work’s fine. Alright, that’s not entirely true. Work sucks and leaves me feeling claustrophobic. I need to change and I’m fed up with saying, “Tomorrow.” I need to change now before I wake up and realise that my life has passed me by and I still haven’t achieved the things that I want to achieve. Things like travel. And love. Mostly love. I’m fed up with the being the single one in the group whilst all my friends are settling down, getting married and having babies. As fabulous as her wardrobe is, I don’t want to be Carrie Bradshaw and I certainly don’t want to be Bridget Jones. I want my underwear to be small and lacy, not big and elasticated. And so, starting right now, I am changing. I will say, “Yes,” and not, “No.” I will jump in with both feet and take the path less travelled. I will not put off until tomorrow what I can do today because life cannot wait any longer. I am living now. I am chasing the sunshine. My real life starts today.