Actually it was a kind of boring, kind of stressful day in work but this evening was nice. Choir practice and the guy who sits behind me became the first person to ask me if I had lost weight. I don't generally like people commenting on my looks too much but sometimes someone can say something simple in such a way that really does boost motivation for keeping going.
I also phoned a self-storage place today to try and get an idea of prices in Germany. At the moment a unit between 4 and 6 sqm cost about 100 euro a month to hire so that's 1,200 to start off my list of things to save for if I want to take a year off work. The price could easily change in the next three years but at least I have an idea. It's low enough that it makes more sense to put everything in storage rather than trying to sell everything and then needing to buy again when I come back I think.
I'd like to buy a map of the world to put up on my sitting room wall. I've meant to do this for a while but thinking of travelling gives me even more reason to get one. I don't think I'll go too far from home but I would like to try the following at least:
Germany (might ease myself into things by getting some wwoofing experience in a country and language I'm familiar with but use it as an opportunity to spend time in the Black Forest again)
France (if I decide to travel for a full year then I will try to spend half of that time in France, it's about bloody time I learned to speak it properly. Ideally I'd like to wwoof in areas I haven't been before at the beginning and then possibly somewhere near where my sister lives for a month or two).
Italy (apart from one day in Venice I've never been)
Spain (possibly just for a long holiday rather than wwoofing - I would really like to see Granada and have never been to Barcelona or Madrid either (getting snowed in to Madrid airport for a day doesn't count))
New Zealand (if my sister is still living there and I haven't visited her before then)
Siberia (have always wanted to go there)
Of course this all makes it seems like I need to spend a lot of time learning languages in the next couple of years but I think I might just forget about Italian and Spanish other than picking up a phrase book before actually going there. I can say please and thank you, which are the important things. I did French in school and have done various evening courses over the years but never really got very far and just need to actually be living there and speaking it I think. I can manage if I'm on my own and absolutely have to and I need a few months of that really. And I suppose I could drag out the Russian books and start learning the alphabet again as well. Maybe I could actually open 1001 Russian Verbs this time round!
Hi Moonwaves :-)
ReplyDeleteWell done on the weight loss, after dieting all my life I now realise it's change of mindset that works the best, linked with slow but sustainable loss.
Re the wwoofing, are you looking for a long term move after visiting all the different places? If so, I would recomend going back to preferred place in winter because places can change dramatically. A lot of people who but holiday homes in France, when the finally retire out here suddenly discover there is snow, rain and ice too.
If you want to come down to the Lot et Garonne, drop me a line, e-mail is on the blog.
Deborah x
Hi Deborah, I might take you up on that offer!
ReplyDeleteI'm not really sure what I'm looking for to be honest, I'm just filled with the sense that I have to go looking for it, if you know what I mean. Having lived in the Black Forest for a couple of winters I know what you mean about the different seaons. In fact, I do see myself moving from here eventually because although I am loving the fact that they do have four seasons here, the winter (or at least last winter, one of the worst for ages according to locals) just wasn't quite wintery enough for me with only about ten days of snow. Of course living out in the country and therefore potentially being snowed in or having to drive in snow if a whole other ball game but that's all part of what I will hopefully be able to experience.