Nostalgia with a Twist 🍃

 Dear Reader, 

I may be freezing but inside I'm warm and fuzzy.

Get ready for a lot of photos. 

As promised. Here I am, still waiting at Liverpool port to make my merry way to Belfast. 

I am exhausted, having driven across multiple counties this week. 

Having visited 5 cities, towns and even little villages. 

And finally spending time with the people I often miss so very much. 

And Mia

Yes. 

This week I am feeling lucky. Grateful. Blessed. Loved. 

How lucky I am to live in an age where Google Maps can efficiently guide me across a country. 

How grateful I am to be from a country where women can drive and a people can hire a car so easily. 

How blessed I am to have friends in so many places, with so many personalities and experiences that filter into my life, enriching my journey across time and space. 

How loved I am, for friends to invite me to stay at their home, for friends I have never met to greet me so warmly into their space, for friends I haven't seen in so long to travel over an hour to spend just a few minutes with me. 

Yes. 

All of the good vibes flow through my veins tonight. 

Which I need. 

As life has sent me an reminder of how little we are and how soon the giant universe can humble us. 

...Sending so much love to the man who gave me life, my wonderful father. And to my beautiful mother. 

Dear Reader, hug the ones you love....

I am so lucky to have been greeted by such a fabulous human upon arriving back in England. And George, my darling, apologies again for hugging you so excitedly that we both fell to the ground. However, it was worth it, Sir. 

Break time for a MUFFIN 

Hanging out with your parents in your beautiful garden is now becoming a tradition for every Summer. 

Leaving one quintessential English village for another.  

The next leg of the journey took me to the new house of Waterbeach's finest, who gave up city life for suburbia and fresh, country air. 

I am so happy to be able to celebrate Eurovision with my craziest best friend, who allows me to be absolutely and unapologetically abnormal. 

That she has found a man who loves her the right way, brings me infinite joy. 

I loved our walks, our binging of Killing Eve, our co-working and our unwavering commitment to Middle Eastern cuisine. 

We will always be friends as I simply disallow all alternatives. 

The best teeth on the PLANET

I cannot believe that I stayed for 4 nights as the time completely FLEW by. So precious are the moments spent with people who really see you, even when you don't always see yourself. 

My road trip up North was more exciting with the addition of the heartiest meal that I never expected:

Enough chips to feed an army

I have to say, the 3 hour drive to Shipley felt worth it when it turned out to be an adorable place with yoga cafes and happy faces. Are people actually nice up North?! Could my perspective have been warped this whole time? 

🧡 

I can't believe I got to meet the woman with whom I speak every work day. The person who helped me through a dark time this year. Someone whose humble nature and sunny demeanor is even greater in person. What a fantastic human being. 

And Goose, the most regal, demure dog.

I didn't get to see everyone and do everything I hoped. But when a friend travels almost an hour, knowing that they can stay a maximum of 20 minutes, it really makes your inner smile grow radiantly. 

Spiritual Sister 

🩵

✨🪷

And so here I am. On the ferry. One packet of biscuits in. Will need to sneak many more for my parents. Wish me luck. 

Off to Norn Iron. 

In time for my mum's birthday 🎂 

Where I will see old friends. Old roads. Tayto crisps. 

Wine and cheese. Even if it's it low alcohol + vegan edition.

And soon, I will meet the latest edition to the Blythe family 💙💙💙

I do miss the melting pot, and Mon amour ♥️

But I am happy, full hearted and overjoyed to be with the people I love again. 

Dear Reader, think of the people in your life. Do they fill up your cup? 

Do you bring out the best in them? 

Do you like the person you are around them? 

Do you go away feeling as if it is time well spent? 

... If the answers are no, reflect on that and how you can change those answers. 

We have so many paths, but "now" is where you are.

Learning to Be

 Dear Reader, 

Winter is Coming...

... So I'm leaving... As per my commitment to avoid Winter...

Only joking! 

But it is true. 

I am leaving Mauritius. 

Forever. 

Haha. That part's not true. 

But alas. The time has come to step away from the Melting Pot. A place I am starting to feel more and more connected to. 

The place where I have spent the most time since COVID. 

Where every street has a frangipani flower lining its path. 

Where intricate, colourful temples meet the call to prayer. 

Where every meal comes with chilli. 

Where every beach is beautiful. 

Where the red fody sings his morning beats ♥️

A place where I discovered a whole new garden of hopes and dreams 🌻

Where people greet you when they enter a gym class. 

Where you can see a doctor whenever you need to. 

I could go on... 

My last tantalising trip up North was a wonderful. Filled with the best cheese on the island, hours upon hours of beach lounging, lots of swimming, cards and good convo. Filled my cup right up.

 

Finally - kayaking!!

As I think about returning to the UK, I feel that eerie sense of anxiety again. Do you ever feel that, Dear Reader? 

Despite the fact I will see some of my favourite people, that there are so many who risk their lives to move there, I still hold a little dread for returning to England. 

It's like the opposite of what I feel here. Unbelonging. Nothing sinister. Just always feeling that it is not my place. 

Which is why I travel. I have always been in search for places where I feel I belong. And I have found them. Because many exist. And it's not the geographical location. 

It's the spiritual essence you embody when in that place. How you feel. How true you are to yourself. The people you spend your time with and the things you do with that time. How you are. How you "be".

Where the ocean meets the shore, just as the mountain peak embraces the sky, the trees root to the ground and sunlight touches your face...

So I will return to the UK, this time, carrying the essence of all the places I can "be". 

So that I may jump on the friends who give the best hugs.

So I may dance with my best friend to crazy Eurovision tracks.

So I may meet other friends for the first time - hi Leah! 

So I may go back to Ireland and spend time with my loving parents, my friends who are new mothers, my oldest friends from childhood. 

So I may make the most of every second with all those people whom I miss so dearly 💖 

And all the while, knowing that within a few weeks, I will return to my Meeting Pot and Shining Star.

Dear Reader, my plan is to write you next week, will you join me on the ferry? ⛴️

✨ And Dear Reader, next time you feel you don't belong, close your eyes. Remember why you are there and what brought you to that moment. Find the love in that, and sit in it, basque in the knowledge that you're exactly where you need to be 🪷 

Caterpillar 🐛

 Dear Reader, 

How are the buds of Spring treating you? 🌱

Perhaps you are in Autumn, like me, noticing the slight change in moisture in the air. 

Internally, my soul is softly matching the Other Hemisphere, as I find myself on the upwards journey of the Circle, moving towards blossom and light ✨

…

I come to you today from my Petit Coin, created for me by a Shining Star, so I may hear the birds sing, so I may admire the plants and have a space in safety. 

So much has happened since we last spoke.

One of the most special people in my life has brought a new person into the world 🐣

Which is partly why I will be reunited with my friends again soon. 

I am also hotly approaching the longest time I have ever spent in one place in recent years. 

And after suffering a hard knock to my ego, there are changes happening…

Manifestations ✨

Things that only transpire through Surrender. 

From the spiritual books, to the pieces of the puzzle; from the colleagues who just happen to tell me the very thing I needed to know, to the love I never knew was possible to receive. 

…

The thing is, when you are a nomad at heart, you are also a citizen of the world. 

As are you, Dear Reader.

You have the possibility of opening your mind to every micro connection and allowing it to bring you energy and sustenance. 

So that when you are surrounded by people who speak a different language, you force yourself to learn it, to allow your insecurities to be submitted in place of peace and joy. 

You learn to listen to love in whatever form it comes. And sometimes, that means admitting some hard truths. 

As long as the dance continues through the thorns, you can basque in the breeze of time, which is life itself.

…

I haven't explored the island as much as I would like recently. 

I haven't made as many friends. 

I haven't exercised as much as I used to.

I haven't been as disciplined. 

Even my cooking has lacked inspiration.

But I have been reading again. 

I have been speaking with my amazing friends who are spread so far across the globe.

I have joined a freaking Bollywood Zumba class, where there's more energy than that which was emitted from the Big Bang 💥 

Against all odds, I joined a belly dance group. Sensuality Unlocked 💃

But more importantly, I've started to listen again. 

To the whispers of the leaves in the trees 🌿

To echoes carried in the breeze. 

To the chimes in my head when the Universe sends me a gentle reminder. 

To my heartbeat when my Shining Star gently quietens years of internal tears…

… 

Though I do long for more time with my favourite ocean, the hours we have spent together recently have been a dream. 

New friend

My horse with the relentless hanger

Despite my horse being totally adverse to water and preferring to eat every square inch of vegetation in our path, beach horse-riding was a great experience. 

And as always the cleansing of waves bring a timeless sense of calm. 

…Among the tall grass, a little caterpillar tramples along towards a bud, as a shooting star softly strokes the night sky…

…

So if you made it to the end of this disjointed ramble, and for some reason, you feel inclined to delve deeper into the intracacies of nomadic life, check out my episode with the King of Aha Moments:

https://apple.co/4iv5wpC 

https://youtu.be/OB5NBLxLj00?si=hkqYb4NFpl8ELD_V 

And thank you, Dear Reader, for joining me again. 

We will speak again soon, as the warmth of the flame continues to cleanse.

I hope you find some inspiration to explore this week. 

Be that your surroundings, your mind or your spirit. 

⭐ Happy Wandering…

The Corner of a Circle

Dearest Reader, 

Oh how I've missed you. 

How have you been? What form has your journey taken over the past few weeks? 

My path has been filled with uneven ground and loose stones, trying to trip me, make me lose my step. 

The corner of a circle. 

A challenge. 

A fall. 

A threat. 

A moment. 

A moment. To remember the Now. Where I find myself in the universe. 

So easy to slip and fall in the thorns. Sharp edges all around. 

No. 

This time, I saw the roses. Just in time. I smelled the sweet scents and touched the soft petals, reminding myself of all the wonderful people in my life. Those who care, about me. Those who know exactly how I feel, all the way across the oceans. 

And that there is magic within arm's reach. I need only dance 🪄

So I danced💃

And here I am, after surrendering. 

New goals. New perspective. New freedom. 

I found a home for the Wandering Soul. It was here all along. 

... 

A painting of a dark house. A creaky gate. A dark room. A somber space. 

A transient light. 

The truth is illuminated. 

What you saw was a silhouette. A shade of reason.

With each breath, the dust blows away and reveals a reality of richness. Vibrant colours and endless interpretations. 

And small corners of hope

... 

The blanket of heat is striking. 

The white walls, tall and proud as the car pulls up. 

I open a gate that doesn't creak. I walk to my familiar spot. I take in the nostalgia. I sit with my Shining Star, playing cards and laughing. Reliving a time of happiness. Realising that it never left my side. It merely dreamed. 

Being present with the Unmanifested, allowing the perfect breeze and heavenly glow of sunlight hit my face, concluding a shared practice. A sense of belonging, felt only on my mat. 

The familiar faces of red fody birds and lush streets of brightness. 

The Asian rain, taking me back to when I last set foot on my Little Slice of Heaven. 

... 

My body is tired. I have listened to the calls for rest, sweetness and love. Now I hear the faint song of energy and Gentle Strength. Grace. Rebirth. 

The warm tingling that never left my hands. The smooth strokes climbing up my spine. The rootedness as I sit, listening to what the universe would like to tell me today. Greeting kindly any thoughts and letting them pass and float away. 

🪷 

My mind, is on the cusp of something. Fatigued and healing, but mending the fragments and placing them carefully in the shape of something new. 

I take a breath. 

And another. 

One more. Over and over. Filled with life. 

Complete and incomplete. 

Perfect and imperfect. 

I will continue to touch the waters of wonder and smile. The next stop is my favourite ocean 🌊 

The Second Letter

Dear Reader, 

February 1st was an important day. 

It is the 32nd day of the year. According to my horoscope (hear me out, cynics), 5 is my number this year. 3+2 makes 5. A friend told me last year that number 5 came to her when she was in prayer, along with the image of me. 

February 1st is also 333 days until the end of the year. In numerology, 333 symbolises abundance, harmony and love❤️

February 1st of this year, was my first day back in the Melting Pot. It was also the one year anniversary of this blog. So cheers to you, Dear Reader, for joining me on my global adventures 🥂 

I started this blog to share with my friends and family, the random things that happen as I travel, and to occasionally impart some wisdom through the Fellow Wanderer entries 🦉 

But this past year, you have joined me across 4 continents, held my hand as I tackled steep learning curves, and got a small glimpse into the mysterious corners of the mind. 

Thank you for sticking with me 💪 

As I follow the soft petals, the loving scents, bright colours, and mystical sounds of the universe, I continue to explore the infinite tunnels of hope and depths of challenges. 

I seek a triangle to place in the sharp squares around me, but instead find a circle, and today I'm feeling the farthest from the centre...

There goes that symbolism again, you should know me by now... 🙃

Two years as a nomad, 3 as a traveller. 

The rise of a feeling 

So much change. So much novelty. Fun that I'd have never known, had I not defied all odds and finally quit my toxic job. 

Peace in Pokhara 

The "introvert", the "shy" girl. Labels that I always resented. 

Yea. No. 

Had I not made the choice to leave behind familiarity, stability and comfort. 

To instead force myself to find a home away from home. 

To cross the vast expanses of chaotic beauty in our world, passing beautiful chaos at every stop. 

To have made so many mistakes. Not regrets, but rather errors of the heart. 

Until finally realising that home can only be found within my Wandering Soul. 

Acceptance is still in progress...

But step by step, across the meadow of thorns in my mind, I approach a place of stillness. 

The journey will continue forever, passing the shadows and stars of the night, through the leaves and calm waters of the days. 

And as I keep at my incessant gallivanting, in whatever capacity that may be, I invite you, Dear Reader, as my plus one. 

Let's continue the adventure 🦋🦋🦋

Ripples

Dear Reader, 

Endless chirps, constant hums. Rustling. And the dampness- you can almost hear it. 

🌴 

Yes. 

I come to you, from the jungle. 

Though, not so different from a Slice of Heaven. Or perhaps Lombok... 🖤 

...The same smells as I disembarked the ferry, the familiar haze as the sun sets. The greetings from locals...

...The same lost souls wandering, hidden but always there.

... 

Waking up this morning, to heavy rain, I thought my 8 hour bus journey was in vain (supposed to be 4), and that I would spend my time here secluded in my little hut. 

But against all odds, the rain stopped, and so I took advantage of this change and made a beeline for the beach. 

As I dipped my feet in the water, admiring the shells, gentle sparkles of sunlight slowly appeared across the sky. 

I passed the locals by the sea, happy families, kids swimming, many smiles. I walked past a kayak and realised that I could complete what I planned to do after all. 

So I left my valuables (not recommended travel advice), in the trusting hands of the universe, having decided that it was less risky than me keeping my bag dry, and I set off full steam ahead.

I stopped at Palau Giam, did some snorkeling without a snorkel, and saw a few fish in murky post-rain water. I also passed by a quirky Buddhist temple, with colours and architecture that made it look like something out of Alice in Wonderland, and took me back briefly to The Elf. Oh the parallels 💜 

As boatfuls of locals went by, waving and gawking at the overexcited white blob bounding across the water on her own, I realised something: I love kayaking. I thought about my journey in lakes Taupo and Tekapo, about this time last year, and how much fun I find this random activity. 

I want to buy a kayak and take myself around all my favourite islands. But it won't fit in my backpack...

Anyway, to finish off what was a surprisingly successful day, I went to "Daddy's Cafe" - not as creepy as it sounds- and watched the sunset. Lovely.

Pankor island has been a most welcome change to Kuala Lumpur's typical chaotic Asian city vibes. 

But KL is also a great place. Chinatown especially. Great food, from all over the world. Everything is affordable, apart from massages given by tiny women who want to paralyse you. 

The bird park and butterfly sanctuaries were both incredible. An indulgence of colour, beautiful nature at its finest, and all within one enormous park 🦋 🐦

The National Museum was also great, giving me insight into a country that I never heard very much about. Another melting pot, a strategically important place, and historically rich. 

But my favourite spot in KL so far, must be the Batu caves. I never expected to see temples built, and perfectly preserved, within caves. 

💕

I paid next to nothing to enter. There is information on all the deities inside, whilst there is even a mini reptile park in one of them! Unfortunately, the reptiles, including my beloved turtles, were not well cared for. The staff seem harmless, but the conditions were very poor. It did however, allow me to see these beautiful animals closer, and I appreciate that 🐍 

After being treated to a cultural dance performance, I made my way to the main temple. Up around 400 steep steps. In the middle of the day. It was worth it for the view and the enormity of the cave. However, I did have to part with the rest of my iced tea on the descent, as it was stolen by a monkey 🐒 

...

Malaysia feels so familiar to me that it's eerie. Maybe because I've been to Singapore so many times as a child. Perhaps because there are so many similarities to Indonesia, notably the language. 

Little friend

🦋 

Really, I think that it just feels safe here. There are so many cultures but everyone is welcome. Now I understand some regions are more dangerous. But this part, it feels good. 

And here, I'm closer to where magic is born. I feel it in the air. Every essence of my being, moving forward. I wonder where the roots will form... ✨ 

***

With only a few days of solo travel left before I return to the melting pot, I am lost in thought. 

As I watch the evening sky reflect off the water, the timid ripples growing ever more courageous, I feel a perfect blanket of warmth on my shoulders. The pain has shifted and everything feels lighter. Even as the shadows dance around me, I look to the water and feel peaceful. I glance at the trees and feel strength, and I gaze at the sky and feel wonder. 

Dear Reader, hear the birds in the sky above you. Notice the colours in every flower. Dip your feet in the water, wherever you may be and watch the ripples. Remember how delicate movements can change the flow, be it a breath, a smile, or even a swipe... 😏