Melbourne #3

Dear Mum

It’s Monday morning and I’m back in Melbourne after the festival - it was an amazing weekend. We travelled for about an hour outside the city to a campsite on a peninsular, there was a festival site in the centre and we camped under very tall trees. There were lots of birds with a dawn chorus like nothing I have ever heard. The only one I recognised was the kookaburra, it really does laugh in a loud strident voice!

There was 1,500 women at the festival, of all ages from tiny babies to women 10/20 years older than me. I was staying in Stefanie’s caravan which was very comfortable, all mod cons! The festival was a mixture of workshops, ceremonies, music and dancing - and I loved it!!!!

The weather was very variable - we had an amazing storm on the first night with the trees really swaying and the rain pounding on the roof of the caravan, it was very exciting. Over the three days the weather improved and on the last day it was glorious and we all sat basking in the sunshine, with drummers and dancers all around us, it was a special few days and a lovely welcome to Australia.
I have found the time difference quite strange, to be waking up in the morning and to think about you getting ready to go to bed, very odd! I seem to have coped with the jetlag very well, woken up in the night a few times but have mainly gone back to sleep quite easily.

I have started to do a little bit of work this morning, planning a conference that I will be involved in later in April, I have felt very welcomed and it does feel really nice to be here. I have some meetings tomorrow and then on Thursday I will be doing a workshop with quite a few people. I haven’t prepared my presentation yet but I will do that tomorrow. This afternoon I'm going to take the tram down to St Kilda beach on my own, so that will be an adventure. I haven’t seen anything of Melbourne yet and this will be my first opportunity.

Here are a couple of photos of the festival! Thinking of you often and sending you very much love my lovely mum....

Tricia xxxxxxxx

 

Melbourne #2

Dear Mum

It’s now Thursday afternoon and Kerry and I had a leisurely morning walking the dog. She lives in a place called North Fitzroy - it is an old suburb of Melbourne - it was build around late 1800’s - there is a Liverpool Street and a Birkenhead Street and as most of the emigrant ships left the port of Liverpool that is not a surprise! It is a nice area with a park and little shops, see the photos.

I am now at my friend Stephanie’s house , she lives more in the suburbs of Melbourne. We are going to a Festival for the weekend and as we are camping I will not be able to write another letter until I get back on Sunday. No electricity or magic wifi!

The weather today is not so warm - though still warmer than the UK - it is the start of autumn and the leaves are just thinking about turing colour. I haven’t really seen much of the countryside yet - but will see more en route to the festival.

It has just started to rain but Stephanie seems to have all the camping gear sorted so we will stay dry - hopefully it will be sunny over the weekend.

Kerry and Stephanie have just been planning my time whilst I am here - and I feel very welcomed and at home - it is lovely to be staying in friend’s houses whilst I am here.

Hope the weather is warm and sunny in Knutsford and that you get out and about over the weekend.

Until my next letter next week - lots and lots of love Tricia xxxxxxxxxx

    

Melbourne

Dear Mum


Well I am now in Australia!

The flight was long but again I got a seat with very good legroom at the front and nobody next to me so I had space. I knitted , listened to an audiobook of Little Dorrit and dozed off and on.

My friend Kerry met me at the airport and I’m now staying in her house, which is lovely. The time difference is extraordinary as I am writing this about 1 o’clock in the morning and it is only 2 o’clock in the afternoon for you. - I am actually in tomorrow!!

Not certain how the jetlag will affect me, I’m hoping to get some sleep tonight and have just had a beautiful deep warm bath so am feeling quite sleepy now.

I will send this letter by Claire again, thank you Claire, the Internet is magic!!!

I will write some more shortly. With very much love


Tricia xxxxxxxxxx 

Doha #2

It's late at night and am waiting to board the plane to Melbourne. Jenny sent me a text this afternoon - Read your Doha letter mum delighted can't understand how she got it have a good flight to os x

This delighted me as I thought about Mum getting the letters but being completely mystified as to how she got them - the magic of the Internet being incomprehensible to her - and understandably - she was born in 1920 - pre TV at the advent of the radio - the technological changes in her lifetime are truly staggering!

But she knows they are messages from me and this makes her happy - and that makes me happy!

Now off to Oz!

Doha letter

Dear Mum

 Arrived in Doha last night after a very easy flight, the aeroplane was brand new and not very full, and I ended up on a front row with lots of leg room and three seats all to myself - perfect way to fly!!!

The day had started early in Paris as I left Alex and Lara’s flat about 5 o'clock in the morning to go to the station. Lara’s mum came with me and helped me with my bags, which was nice - we talked in Spanish! I have two suitcases which is a lot for me as I am used to travelling with a small suitcase and a backpack but as I’m going to be away for quite a while ,I seem to be carrying quite a lot of stuff ,including some books which are always heavy.

I am staying at the house of Jim and Barb, Rachel’s parents, here in Doha. They only came back from Oman yesterday morning, where they had been on holiday. We had a lovely evening last night talking about the wedding and other things. They are moving back to the States in a few months and they are  looking forward to that.

I am having a lazy day, we are going to the swimming pool shortly and then having a barbecue tonight before I catch my plane to Australia. around midnight.  Jenny and I stayed with Jim and Barb  last February on our way to India, so we saw the sights of Doha  (which doesn’t take long!) so I am happy just to  relax today.  There is a three hour time difference between the UK and Qatar so you will just be getting up and having your breakfast as I write this.

It was really nice to get the message from Claire yesterday  when I arrived to let me know that you had received my first letter and that the system worked well! Thank you Claire. There are two pictures in this letter, Jim and Barb  and a picture of Alba with her other Abuela (Spanish Granny) which Lara sent yesterday, they had a sunny day in Paris.

I will write to you next from Australia - sending all very much love from Qatar.

                                            Tricia  xxxxxxxxxx  

First letter to my Mum

Paris

Dear Mum

Because I’m not going to be able to phone you for the next few weeks - I am going to send you letters. I will send these either via Claire in Abbeyfield or Jenny - through the magic of the internet!

It will make me happy to think of you sitting in your room reading about my adventures and as I am sending this one via Claire it is also a nice thought to think of Rose, Grace, Rene and Barbara also reading it - maybe in the conservatory with the sun shining outside and the birds singing in the garden and diving in and out of the thick green hedge. Very well fed birds! It also makes me happy to think of you collecting some scraps of bread and making your daily walk to feed the ducks on the moor.

I left Liverpool on Thursday evening having finished Jury Service. on Wednesday. I found Jury Service quite difficult as I told you, though I appreciate it is actually a really good thing within a society. I have to say it was well organised and I enjoyed the company of my fellow jurors, but it was painful to see the defendants and to hear of their lives. I sat on two juries, we found one man not guilty and another guilty but in both cases it seemed just so sad to see how some people can live in such chaos and without a real sense of purpose.

I am now in Paris at Alex and Lara’s and little Alba is a joy - blooming and thriving and ruling the roost! She is quite an opinionated baby - nothing to do with her genes of course! She can laugh and smile and then just as quickly scream the house down! I have just had the lovely pleasure of helping bath her and then after a sleep - whilst we ate breakfast - played with with her for a long time, she is now feeding and then we are all going out - Alba’s first train journey!

I will keep in touch with you via these letters and I am sure I will hear of your doings from Jenny as she emails me regularly. With very much love and best wishes from Alex and Lara and besos (Spanish kisses) from little Alba.

Tricia xxxxxxx 

back home from Barcelona.....

Life seems to be travelling by very quickly at the moment and it doesn't seem any time at all since I was here in bed writing my blogg - but it was actually a week ago. Now I have two weeks, or slightly less than two weeks, before I go off to Paris, then Doha and then off to Australia!!

I was at Barcelona airport yesterday when I felt a real rush of happiness, and realised that I just love to travel. I just love the process of travelling, I hadn't really realise that, I thought I liked being in new places but I realised I really do enjoy travelling.  Given the way my life is going the fact I enjoy travelling is probably a very good thing!

I also enjoy being on my own. I've known for a while that I prefer to travel on my own, since Chris's death and  particularly since Jimmy left home,  I have been living completely on my own. Sometimes this has felt very lonely and I have yearned for someone to talk to, and quite often I have filled  that gap by writing my blogg! At the moment I am very much on my own, the office has gone  and I am just me! However the technology enables me to touch base with family and friends very easily, more often than not they are a long distance away, not just round the corner.  I don't need to be on my own but more often than not, I am choosing to be on my own.

I have been thinking about choices,  about consciously making choices, and the intention of choices. Choices are cumulative,  they build up one on top of another, so a choice to do one thing can more easily lead to another thing happening with very little choice being seen to occur. Often we forget that we have choices. But we do - we are all making choices all the time and taking control of the small choices is the first crucial step in realising the big intentions.

The world is as it is because of the accumulation of the tiny little choices of all of us, made over the lifetimes of humankind. Everything  that happens is as a consequence of the myriad of miniscule choices that we as individuals and humanity have made  over lifetimes. There are 7 billion of us alive in this world at the moment, all making tiny choices impact on the totality of our existence. However our body is made up of 37 trillion cells yet it acts as one human being -  me the individual - and that is quite extraordinary.

So  since Chris's death  I have been more aware and conscious of the choices that I have been making. Linked to that has been the intention my choices, what is the purpose of these small everyday decisions and choices? Not sure where these reflections are going  apart from a clearer understanding  that things happen in my life as a consequence of choices that I made previously, and that my future life will be as a consequence of the choices I make today!

But it is now  time for me to get up and to go and see my Mum,  the pen ultimate visit before I'm off   to Australia....... and to count my blessings that I have that choice.....

Living change

I have just read a beautiful Facebook posting  on friend of mine who is leaving Australia to come back to the UK for two years. She described her gratitude for the people, times, places and special things that have been important parts of her life during her 10 years in Australia.

I recognised in her words and saw myself in a few months time saying goodbye to special people, memories and things. I have already started the process by thinking about selling my beautiful car. Lily,  my lovely white BMW convertible which given me so much pleasure over the last five years, but it would be sensible to sell her at the beginning of summer rather than at the end.  So today I will take her to the car wash and take some photos of her. Last night I did a deal with Gilly whereby we will share her car  for a while, that will mean I can sell Lily  and still be mobile, most particularly to be able to see my Mum.

When I talk about leaving Liverpool I can only feel one really big heartache - though I anticipate many smaller ones will appear over the next few months - and it is the thought of leaving my mother.   Just writing this  has brought tears to my eyes.........  I will miss my mother so much, whether this is because I am no longer  able to visit her regularly like I do at the moment, or whether it will be because she is  no longer around, doesn't really matter.  At the moment she is well,  active and enjoying  her life. Though I know  there are times when she feels lonely and  she misses my Dad terribly,  she is living her life to the full. She said yesterday when we were out walking "Life is so interesting  if you care about it."   She is so right! I feel very close to my Mum and yes - the thought of not seeing her regularly does make my heart ache.

She knows I'm going to Australia for a couple of months  and that is good, I have just worked out that I will send her letters via Jenny, I can email them and Jenny will take them over. That is a good plan! I have told her that I am leaving Liverpool once we were out walking, she looked me in the eyes and said "Don't not go because of me." She has forgotten the conversation but I haven't.

I have booked a holiday cottage for Mum, Jenny, Evie  and Michael for July, it looks fantastic with a view over South Stack's Lighthouse in Anglesey, with puffins and seals and sunsets.....  and a hot tub to enjoy them from. Mum  is also going to London for her 95th birthday with Fiona, Jenny and Sophie  and they are going to see Phantom of the Opera and have afternoon tea with 15 members of the family,  she will enjoy that. She loved Jimmy and Rachel's wedding,  she can't remember the details that she can remember how much she enjoyed it.

So I am anticipating leaving my Mum and starting the process of leaving Liverpool! This week I completed all the reports I had to do for the European Commission and now I just have to wait to see if they are accepted.  I also cleared out my office and although I have some things I need to finalise and archive etc I  have effectively said goodbye to it, without a team it was a lonely place anyway! So in some ways the goodbyes have already started, with the SiS Catalyst  team leaving at the end of December and  the others now working full-time in the Educational Opportunities team.

I go to Barcelona this afternoon to do a Spanish course,  then the following two weeks Jury  duty.....  then off to Australia via  Paris and Doha,  returning via India -   amazing, how blessed am I!

....... Then I looked at the time and realised I was to have a Skype with my boys and their girls - it was fun - though Alex looked knackered - little Alba had been crying a lot - she seems to have a lot of trouble with gas pains in her tummy. Despite this she is visibly putting on weight and thriving - though exhausting her parents in the process! I am now at the airport - I got the car washed but didn't take any photos because it was pouring down. Jenny was over at Mum's this afternoon and the letter from Australia idea was well received - I could also put them into my blogg - and I know a couple of blogg readers are also Mum visitors/phoners it would work very well I think. The time difference will make it difficult to ring Mum a lot - yes I am very happy with this plan!

So off now to Barcelona!!! I am living change.........