2016 was certainly a year of change for me. I pushed pause on the career I’d been working away on for the last decade, rented out the brand new house I’d built in 2015 and moved overseas. I’m now working in a totally different industry, living in a 150 year old house and truly loving the new opportunities England is presenting to me.
I’m not really big on new year’s resolutions, but given 2017 is going to be a year like no other, there are a three goals I’d like to achieve.
- Wake up to more views like this.
When Adam and I decided to move to England one of the top items on our ‘to-do’ list was travel. We spent much of 2016 planning and saving for the relocation, so it meant that we didn’t go on too many holidays. By Australian standards, the U.K. is relatively well connected transport wise, plus you’re never too far away from an international airport where you can normally find good deals on airfares to much of Europe and north America. On our list so far is a trip to the Brecon Beacons in Wales, the Isle of Skye in Scotland, one of the Scandinavian countries (top of the list is the Faroe Islands or Iceland, Adam fell in love with the country during a visit in 2014), Italy (I visited in 2013 and still have vivid dreams about the glorious food!), Germany and Croatia.
2. Live more simply.
Adam and I both want to make this year more about experiences than ‘stuff’. The television Adam had before he came to Australia hasn’t moved in with us – it’s still on loan to his family, but we’re not missing it at all! After years of working in news and knowing what’s happening around the clock, it’s lovely to step away from that constant connectedness. We keep up to date with with current affairs via our phones and computers and spend our evenings reading, listening to music, chatting or having a Netflix binge. We’d also love to get stuck into helping out in the family allotment growing herbs, vegetables and fruit, and we want to expand our abilities in the kitchen. Adam’s already getting stuck into perfecting bread – sampling freshly baked loaves on an almost daily basis is fine by me!
3. Get outdoors more.
In Australia I was a regular gym goer. Usually three times a week I’d pop along for pilates and yoga classes. I loved it, but that routine has completely gone by the wayside over the last few months due to move. I’ve truly embraced the British habit of walking (as you can read about here and here) and it’s something I’d like to continue this year. There are public footpaths just metres away from our house and in 2017 I want to start using them more and getting up onto the Malvern Hills on a more regular basis. I love how you can go on a walk in England and discover beautiful little spots, unique views and character-filled pubs and cafes. There is so much more incentive to get out and be active (even in the cold weather) when there’s the chance of seeing something new.
Do you make New Year’s resolutions? If so, what are they?!
Here’s to wonderful things over the next 12 months. x
Wattle and Ash 