1. Being Brave

I have just a few days before I leave on a solo European adventure as a single 50+ female.  I am so damn nervous!

It was part of a plan to work for six months up the mountain and spend the rest of time hanging and travelling.  

However, it was a spontaneous decision and not a particularly well thought out one!

Not A Planner!

Firstly, I didn’t make enough money on the mountain to pay for what will be four months of expensive travel so I’ll be very mindful of how I eat.  (Pray I don’t starve!)

Next year I’ll just go to Australia (and work!).

I still don’t have a solution for my cat, Pluto.  She currently lives at my place with a bunch of tenants and is happy there... seemingly more attached to the area than to people, although she was just staring at me when I was last there.  Yes I know, I’m a bad cat mother! (Pray she doesn’t starve!)

Pluto - I Feel So Guilty!

My foot is still broken but I’m hoping it will eventually heal while I’m away.  I’ve been too busy to rest it and there is no room in my pack for my bulky moon boot!  

Lastly, I will miss my mother and our chats.  I have enjoyed the unexpected extra month with her; the broken foot allowed me this at least.   

Mum moved into residential care recently and I’ve been finishing her pantry, just as I finished mine last year.  It’s not been an easy time for her and I’ll be praying for her to have the strength needed to navigate her deteriorating health.  Life is unfair!

I haven’t travelled overseas alone since my 20’s and exactly where my youthful confidence disappeared to, who knows… as I am really freaking out for some reason.  

This ever-present tight gut-knot ball of panicky fear is growing bigger as my departure looms.  

At the same time, I trust my old and new self to know what to do, and of course I have this iPhone.  Internet, wifi and Esims were not around in the early 1990’s!  Pray I don’t lose it (like I did in Thailand).

Today I packed my backpack with the barest of essentials to see me through a European spring and summer.  

Four Months of Travel

I am carving out a new path and it feels very uncomfortable, but as my brother often says, “you’ve got to risk it to get the biscuit!” (Who cares about the biscuit?!)

I will write about my adventures here, post some photos and maybe some poetry too.  I’m bringing some pens and paper so I can draw and keep the creative in me happy as well.

I hope you enjoy reading about my next adventure… it will be written mostly for my mother to help her pass the time.  (I am already wishing I was coming back, and I haven’t even left yet).

Wish me good luck!  

✈️

Comments

  1. Misha (Misha's Vineyard)April 27, 2024 at 3:39 AM

    Well I am reading your blogs and have every confidence in you! I am sure there will be lots of times you will "fxxx, what am I doing here' but there will be many more times when you think how lucky you are to be on an adventure and making every decision yourself, unencumbered by expectations, time frames, rules etc. You have the power to have an amazing time...it's up to just 2 things...your decisions and your attitude. Enjoy!

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