Highlights

So its almost 2018. I’m not sure about you but I feel like it was just New Years. 2017 needs a speeding ticket. I didn’t do a post to mark the occasion last year but since my site turned a year old this month I thought I’d do a roundup of some of the highlights that have featured here, from the last two years. Naturally, many of them are places visited. If you were part of them, laugh, cry or both. If not, I hope they remind you of some of your own.

We start in the wilds of Zimbabwe. Elephants that roam free and wild, elusive leopards, bats that get stuck in mosquito nets. Sunburnt skin and pot-holed roads.

Miami. Tornadoes and TV at 3am. Bagels for breakfast. Bike rides on the Board walk, cop cars ‘cruise Biscayne’. Shopping for shoes.

The Bahamas. Glassy ocean, rainbow reef. Wild spotted dolphins, next to me. Dancing in the rain, making new friends, floating in the waves. Soft-white sand and conch shells.

Corfu. Desert-like heat, dragonflies and lemon-scented pathways. Hazy mountains, silvery seas, quiet coves. Boating, exploring, climbing. Mysterious olive groves and friendly donkeys.

Summer 2016. Heatwaves, cloudless days and humid nights. Prune and Suzi lying in the shade. The sun umbrella, washing on the line. Horse-racing and violet skies. Peaches and cucumber salad.

Portugal. Cold, Atlantic waves. Wetsuits and surfboards, tangled hair and shell-cut feet. Aching arms and shoulders. The thrill of ‘catching’ a wave.

Amsterdam. Sweaty streets, tired feet. Sunglasses and picnics in the park. Museums of art and beer. Markets, canals, skinny houses. Bicycles- everywhere.

India 2016. Pink misty sunrises, exotic birdcalls. Bright red flowers and frantic roads. Train rides and temples. Chaos and colour, the chanting of morning prayer.

Phuket, Thailand. Mud splashing baby elephants, sipping from coconuts. Infinity pools and swaying palm-trees. Riding in an open pick-up, sticky rice and peachy sunsets.

Bangkok. Tangled flyovers, iced Milos and AC’d mega malls. Skyscrapers and smoggy streets. Haggling for vegetables and watching the night lights on the river.

Normandy. Cascading pale white blossom. Crumbling farmhouses, a patchwork of fields. Chocolate coloured race-horses and joyful chubby cows. Prune and Suzi exploring, dew on their noses.

Rome. Eternally blue skies and beautiful buildings. Vespas and marble fountains. Heat hazy afternoons, hilltop views. Walking the Appian Way.

Summer 2017. Thunderstorms, sunshine after the rain. Lying on the grass, staring at the sky. Wondering about the future, thinking about the memories.

Aberdeen. New place, new adventures. Late summer, early Fall. Urban dolphins, castles, golden fields that meet the sea. Blackberries and woods carpeted with leaves.

Fall 2017. First homecoming. Starry nights and balmy days. Raking leaves, Prune by my side. Home comforts, proper food, space.

My first placement. Long days, learning all the time. Late nights, work and planning. Stress, laughter, worry and relief. All the emotions in one day. Kids who are pleased to see you. Christmas crafts, carols and snow.

India 2017. Peacock blue sky, a gentle breeze, sun on my skin. The rattan swing, watching the sunset. Parakeets and squirrels, cats and stray dogs. Fresh bread and bananas, bumpy roads and pedicures. Christmas together, chatting and laughing.

There have been very low points too, of course. And the many mundane moments that stitch together the highs and the lows. Its important to acknowledge them, too, but to focus on what was learned from the mistakes, and how the hard times made you stronger.

To everyone who was a part of the last two years, thank you for being there. Here’s to 2018.