A new heartbeat

The opening

Forgive me reader for I have sinned. It has been 1342 days since my last confession.

TravelPod, our previous travel blogging platform is no more. It went the way of the Dodo, of Bebo, of Dido. We have a record; Shona spent a couple of months compiling those six months of blog whitterings into a beautiful book, dotted with a selection of photos from our trip – a treasured memory. Several years later, the blog has reincarnated onto WordPress, which seems like a pretty professional outfit so far.

The flashback

Arriving home on January 9th 2016 after our amazing 6 months away, our lives started crystallising back into the familiar shapes of work, home, friends, family and routine.

Our day-to-day rapidly took back on its frenetic beat – albeit with a softer rhythm; muted by the after-effect of months of stress-free living; a feeling which stayed with us for a long time.

Shona got a big new job, we bought a beautiful new house, our lives filled back up with People and Things. We continued to spend all our holidays abroad; visiting 16 new countries in the intervening years. We had a foray around Central America to Guatemala, Belize and Mexico; a week in the magical landscapes of Iceland, an abortive (flooded) visit to Mauritius followed by an idyllic few days in the Maldives, a jaunt around Turkey and Jordan, and a recent cycling trip through Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. We’ve dived every year, and I’ve continued boys adventures up various mountains and down various rivers in Europe and America.

The hook

But change is afoot… In July this year, I left my job and have been a man of ‘leisure’ for the past few weeks. I wanted a change, and serendipity shone bright, giving me an exit door with a parachute.

Shona has agreed to take a sabbatical from her work, so in a role reversal plot worthy of a 1980’s movie, Shona and I are Trading Places, she with the job; me the unemployed bum, and we’re off travelling again!

The teaser

… But not just yet. We don’t head off on the next big adventure until November 8th. In the interim, and to get my eye back in on this blogging gig, we’re currently on our already-booked-and-paid-for-before-we-decided-to-go-travelling-again holiday to Africa!

So, if anyone cares, head over to the next entry to hear and see some ramblings on a couple of weeks in Tanzania…