Nat and Nick have moved ......

.... to South Korea. They're going to be teaching English there for the next year, and they've just arrived and were given such a warm and friendly welcome. The apartment that's been provided for them was furnished and supplied with a great deal of thought and consideration for their comfort, and they were shown around the school and taken out to dinner as soon as they arrived.

Speaking as a mother, the knowledge that my daughter has been given such a warm welcome comforts me a lot. When your children are far away, no matter what age they are, you want to know that they're in a safe and friendly place, and also that they're happy.

After spending the last 8 months travelling around the middle and far East as well as Australia, they'll now be spending a year in one place. So far, they love it.

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun

My daughter stumbled across this website and sent me a link. I really liked it, so thought I'd share.

Happy Valentines Day.

Great Show

Last night I went to see Traces at Milton Keynes Theatre, and it was brilliant! I didn't know what to expect when I went, but after feeling a bit perplexed at the start, I very quickly settled into enjoying the whole show.

Traces is a group of five acrobats/dancers/singers/all-rounders, four men and one woman, who put on an energetic, varied and witty performance.

Two parts of the show stood out for me. One was when one of the men spun inside a metal hoop, and the second was a dance on skateboards. That doesn't mean that I'm saying the rest of the show wasn't outstanding, it's just that for me those two bits of it were the best.

If they're ever in your neck of the woods, I'd highly recommend this show for a great night out. If you're interested, their website can be found at http://traces.7doigts.com/

Misty breath

Every time I step outside my breath moves ahead of me in a misty cloud. It's strange to be able to see my breath after a respite down under in their topsy turvy summertime.

Having spent the last two months going out and about and spending a lot of time outdoors, I'm looking out of the window at the wintry scenes and thinking "No, I don't think I want to go out in that!"

I've been hibernating a little bit. In fact more than a little bit, because every time I stop moving I fall asleep. I think my body clock is just slightly mixed up at the moment.

I'm back

I've spent the last two months travelling around 'Down Under'. While I was away I kept a separate blog about the places I went to on www.itchyfeet23.blogspot.com - a blog which is currently running about 21 days behind schedule - so I'm back to writing this blog on my day to day life alongside the travel blog which I will update until it's complete.

I had a really great time. I left on December 6 and spent a couple of days in Singapore before flying to Perth in Australia. I stayed there for 11 days and then flew to Sydney in time for Christmas, where my kids joined me and we spent the Christmas and New Year with my brother and his family. After the kids went back to their various jobs/studies/travels, I flew to Christchurch in New Zealand, and spent the next three weeks travelling by coach and train and ferry through the South and North Islands, ending up in Auckland where I spent a couple of lovely days with some good friends. Back to Sydney, and a few more (less hectic than at Christmastime) days with my brother and family, before setting off back home via Bangkok (2 days).

I had a brilliant time, and found out that I have a lot more stamina than I gave myself credit for. Two months living out of a suitcase with no responsibilities is a great way to reduce stress levels to absolute zero. And yes, I was moving around so much that I didn't unpack, which made sure that I didn't accidentally leave anything anywhere. Though I must admit I spent one whole day as I travelled from one place to another thinking that I'd forgotten my phone charger at the last motel, because I couldn't remember putting it back in the suitcase after using it. However, when I checked in to that night's motel or hotel and opened my suitcase I found that it was safely there, much to my relief.

I met a lot of really nice people. Once or twice I would meet the same people again in another place a few days further along, and that was always a real treat, and we'd greet each other like long lost friends! But the best ice-breakers were winery tours where you'd start the day with a group of total strangers and end the day with everyone chatting and laughing and on the best of terms.