Following the sun

Hi Folks,

Sorry I’ve been MIA – missing in action to those of you that don’t watch war movies, but I escaped from gloomy old London for a while to bask in the sunshine that smiles over mainland Europe at this time of year. Yup as in summer time, something this miserable little island doesn’t seem to do.

My apologies for whining, but I think that the UK and Ireland have a competition each year to see who can have the wettest, coldest and greyest summer. My only thought is what the hell the prize could be?

I haven’t seen sun for so many years that when I looked in the mirror I actually thought I had caught some strange disease but slowly it dawned on me, “Oh yeah, so this is what I look like with a tan”.

The holiday was absolutely brilliant, my Mom flew over from South Africa and we took a coach trip across Europe. Admittedly it isn’t my first choice when travelling and I was sceptical at first, but it does eliminate the hassle of planning. (Something I have never been very good at.)

I will blog soon about the mini adventures we had; how I fell head over hills in love with Italy; had to be coaxed out of the Sistine Chapel by my mom as I stood mesmerised by the genius of Michelangelo; how I met an Eskimo and some cringingly genuine Afrikaners who made me realise why I left South Africa – and of course write about the beauty that is Europe and her people, but it will take time to round up all my thoughts and remember what happened in which country.

For now I am treasuring my memories of a fantastic trip, made better by sharing it with my mom. The truth is I have realised that I don’t want to live in this cold, dull place anymore. I want the sun to wrap its warm arms around me and for my form to cast a shadow when I walk down the street. I want to feel energised by the heat and then be lulled into a contented calm by the sun sinking beyond the sparkling blue water of the sea – assisted of course by an ice cold chardonnay.

So instead of yearning for this fantasy I have decided that it is time to move on yet again. I have my writing obligations but they are possible to fulfil from any geographical location and I am also considering doing a TEFL course to supplement my income. Oh yeah, it is official I am totally out of IT – yippee!

My current consternation is where to live. Italy keeps popping up in my mind, preferably the Riviera. It could be one hell of an adventure after all I don’t speak the language and for some unknown reason every time I try, German slips out of my mouth. I know very little about the country except for Milan being a shoe-aholic heaven and the bureaucracy is very confusing.

This time though I am not going to just toy with the idea of moving – I can hear my friends laughing at me singing an old familiar song. I am determined to get out of Dodge so I have set myself a goal. This time next year I will have settled into a warmer life; sipping a chardonnay while watching the sun set over the ocean – preferably with a tall, dark handsome man. I will chuckle quietly to myself as I think of my poor friends back in the UK cursing yet another dull, drizzly day and thank my lucky stars for being able to live in a such beautiful place.