The Sankalpa

The sun has risen on a brand new year and the beginning of our adventures. It feels important to me to ponder what this magnificent travel opportunity is presenting to us and also what it is we hope to gain from the experience. Tony and I have embraced the chance to explore the world, wonder and learn and we want to ensure that we stay true our hearts and dreams. It is exciting, overwhelming, sleep depriving and humbling and we both want to soak up every drop.

Meditating on the beach and walking silently through the rainforest, I was surrounded by a deep sense of gratitude for the stunning beauty that Australia has as well as for the opportunity that lays in our hands. Taking a year from work as a sabbatical is such a privilege and I'm so proud to work in a preschool that nurtures their teachers as well as the children - not everyone has this opportunity.

So what will 2015 hold for us? In a years time, what will I reflect upon and hold dear to my heart? What will Tony and I have shared and what will I have discovered alone? My Sankalpa will lead the way and entice me to open strange new doors....

Travelling for a year has the inevitable consequences of making one reassess one's possessions. Tony has famously been quoted as saying 'All we need in a house is a pizza cutter' however I don't seem to have acquired this minimalistic mantra. (I can see my family and friends nodding fiercely as they read this!) I'm a teacher: I see the possibilities in ancient National Geographics, wads of wool and scraps of lace. I also have passions that embrace the seasons; sewing in summer and knitting in winter (and the occasional hula hooping) all of which require a large amount of space. This however, has had to change. Apart from solving the problem with a packable travel hoop, 'Gumtree' has been awesome for selling off mouse cages, aquariums, rugs and sofas, raising a tidy profit of $1500. Reducing the need for storage with every sale, I must admit it has become slightly addictive as well as incredibly cathartic. Seeing happy people leave with life size Yodas under their arms, a boot full of Christmas decorations and collections of pots, both parties feel elated.
As our trip nears closer, I've become much more unattached to my useless crap and have I've started giving it away on Gumtree. This in itself has been an incredible learning experience. Unbeknownst to me, there are either people who watch Gumtree ads all day waiting for a bargain, or some kind of notification that sends people messages when there is a free item available. Within minutes of posting a free fishing rod, I had twenty people chatting, telling me their life story for a chance to received the allusive free fishing rod. Had they have known it was taking up space, I was over waiting for gumtree no shows and that I hadn't used it in 6 years, they may have stopped to reconsider their hastiness! Sprinkled in amongst this eager, polite life sharing group were a few ungrateful and selfish humans who emailed comments such as " I'll take it, leave it out the front and text me when it's ready".
There have also been some internet kindred spirits out there and the majority have made me smile. My favourites have been person who asked if they could be my friend, the sweet young lady who offered me a bag of Chinese tea in exchange for my free candles and incense and Bianka who declared me to have a beautiful spirit and wonderful energy when I tried to sell her my psychedelic blue granny shopping cart!
Most things however, have been bundled into garbage bags and driven straight to 'Lifeline' where I know from my volunteering Saturdays that every donation is not only gratefully received (and a bonus hug from Sophie) but that each $20 they make allows for an hour of crisis counselling. It's wonderful to know that so many people can benefit not only from buying goods at ridiculously cheap prices, but that through giving, the money that can be made truly is life saving.
If you can see Tony in this photo of our car loaded up ready for a 'Lifeline' drop, you'll know my downsizing has made him very happy too :-)

With our bodyboarding holiday in Port Macquarie over and a week of frenetic cleaning and our first open house concluded, Tony and I have gone off to indulge ourselves in our respective passions. For Tony, it's finishing his personal training qualification. For me? Well surely that must be something hippie and creative. Bring on Bellingen and Camp Creative! After a wonderful year solo in 2014 painting with acrylics and hanging in the backpackers, I've managed to convince my dear Tam that this is indeed paradise. Hanging out in our 'cosy' dorm (don't bring Bella the cat in, she will NOT be able to be swung!) drinking 'Hippie' wine (It was actually delicious!) and learning printmaking, I am truly in heaven. Having impromptu Ukelele lessons from 'Terry the Entertainer' watching horses graze over the breathtaking valley, smiling as the diamond python slowly glides down the wooden stairs and listening to the residents jamming with flutes and guitars, this place has my name stamped all over it. Added to this divine little mix is the amazing organic, local and sustainable food that is in prolific supply, as is the nurturing of vegan and organic foods. Now, all I need to do is get Tony to move here!
Printmaking and solar etching has been the perfect choice for such an instant gratification girl like me. Exploring 'Chine Colle' and applying layer upon layer has given my texture hungry soul a place to play and I've been amazed to see how ink, paper, photos, lace and leaves can sing together so sweetly. With two weeks to go before we head off to Borneo for the beginning of our overseas travels, I feel such gratitude that such creative spaces exist for people of all ages (there is an 80 year old man hanging out here in the backpackers who did a painting course) and the fact that my wonderful relationship with Tony embraces both our shared spaces and our own individual passions. It also helps sweeten the fact I'm heading home to two weeks of packing!

Post script: rising from my hot dorm bed, I drag myself bleary eyed into the shared shower area where I wait my turn for ablutions. The hot water tap chugs loudly, slowly kicking into gear and I push away the leftover soap and loofah and see how my spider friend has gone overnight. Returning to my room, I uncover no less that 10 cockroaches who've had a lovely snooze under my bags and as I head off to make breakfast, realise that their little cockroach friends are still partying in the kitchen. These little buggers don't even bother with being nocturnal, they know that it's a 24/7 party here; always something to nibble on. Gazing off into the valley whilst eating, my attention is suddenly drawn to a shape pushing itself behind my chair. It's the 80 year old man, although now I know he's actually 90 because he is semi naked wandering around in his saggy jocks. Dropping the keys into 'safety box' (open jar at the outside of the building) I realise two things. One, my rose coloured glasses were left in the dorm bed and two, I'm going to have to get out of my comfort zone fast!

Returning home to pack, I'm reminded of how much I do love our little home. Yes, Sydney traffic is horrendous and commuting for up to an hour each way to work is tiring, but the lifestyle I've built around me is without a doubt, special. This photo was taken after my weekly trip to the Steiner farm where I shop for my organic veggies and groceries. Chatting to Pat the lovely lady who works there and catches up with me each week, we discovered that the chooks hadn't laid many eggs that day. Wandering out to have a quiet moment with 'my girls' Pat also headed off into the farm to find to the farmer. Moments later she called me back from hanging with the chooks and the alpacas to proudly announce the farmer had managed to collect me 8 hot eggs from under some happy free ranging organic hens. Helping me out to my car with the bulging bags of farm fresh kale, parsley, salad greens and citrus, I drove off further into the countryside. Delighted to buy a bunch of $5 Lupins, placed on the side of the road with an honesty box, I still remember today how ecstatically happy I felt being able to indulge in the simple pleasures of a drive in the country, fresh farm produce, service with a smile and recognition of both my name and our last conversation as well as freedom in my days to live my values.
Today as our home lays in shambles of stacked boxes, piles of clothes and unscrewed IKEA furniture, this photo reminds me of the home we created here and how happy we have been. With a lounge room full of beautiful Kate Fennelly artworks and my delightful wild 'Lizzie' who has made our home hers also, we've enjoyed over 8 years together here. We're ready to leave and eager for our adventurer to begin, but there is also the tug on the heartstrings as we say goodbye to not only family and friends for the year but to our little home that has been such a sanctuary.

I don't do beige, nor do I do mix and match neutrals or one season wardrobes. I'm going to sound ridiculously materialistic here, but packing for a years worth of travel in one bag is incredibly hard for me. Considering I workd as a tour guide for two and a half years, I know that sounds ludicrous! Given that preschool parents, my family and beautiful Kate have generously given me hundreds

of dollars collectively in presents, I've bought myself new trekking shoes, multi purpose crocs, a fabulous new wheely/backpack bag and multiple items for our trip, I truly am a lucky and spoilt girl. Crossing humid Asia, conservative Middle East and North Africa and a potentially freezing UK, it's hard to fit everything into a bag. I could, if I was my minimalistic husband or even 'travel girl' and 'the professional hobo' whose blogs I've been poring over seeking inspiration. However, my beloved clothing reflects my daily mood, my love of patterns and individuality. My solution thus far, has been to throw things into my bag and revisit it each week, throwing out items I've decided aren't required and occasionally adding new ones. The biggest aspect of travelling for a year is not the fact I don't have my own bed, nor is it sharing skanky backpacker facilities, it is the fact that I will only have a few clothes that I'll have to wear over and over again.
That is unless I can find some cool second hand charity shops along the way to swap my clothes over with!!!!! I wonder how this year will affect me in regards to my possessions, love of fabrics and my self expression?

That truck contains all of our possessions. Weeks and weeks of packing have ended and now everything we will return to has been contained within 17m3. By the end of it, packing could best be described as 'shoving' and there was fleeting consideration of the $1000 fee for someone else to do it all for us. There seemed to be quite a few boxes labelled 'last minute things' and 'random' and many things that could have been relinquished. Having two solid weeks to both pack and clean our apartment ready for lease, we have been on a tight schedule of chores but the end is in sight. Saturday is another open day where we will wait patiently for our perfect tenant to love our home, give our car to the trusted hands of our friend Nelson and begin our adventures.

I've barely slept, I'm camping on my own floor, we have to pack the car, sort through our bags and

prepare for our open home. We have to sweep, mop, clean and beautify whilst prepare to leave our home that we have built up from arriving 8 years ago with nothing but a suitcase. It is bittersweet. For me, it's sweet. I can't wait to stop cleaning, lifting boxes and repacking my bag. For Tony, it is bitter as we walk away from our home where we have felt so happy. On my hands and knees wiping the floor with our last squares of paper towel, our estate agent is patiently waiting for me to quickly place out my vases of Rosemary in a vain attempt to make our now empty apartment feel warm and homey as we have known it. Hanging in the garden as potential tenants assess our home, we nervously hope that this is the week that we find people to love our home. I've resisted the urge to write them

notes spouting the virtues of having our wild lizard 'Lizzie' live in our kitchen and keep the bugs at bay, but have tucked a little welcome note into the cupboard to make them feel at home. Applications in hand, they leave unaware of the beady eyes watching them, inwardly begging them to care for our home and we scramble back in for last minute checks. Drive to lifeline for one last charity drop. Drive back home to pack our camping gear for our camping section. Drive to the real estate to drop off our keys. Drive to Nelsons to drop off the car.
Nelson's home is calm and blissful. He makes us lunch as we repack once more. Taking out 5kgs of 'essential' possessions to keep my bag at a reasonable weight, I balance out my need for jeans against my travel hoop...the hoop wins.
Being driven to the airport is a luxury and I silently watch Sydney pass me by. My body is slowly realising that it can relax and tiredness hits me with a wave of nausea. We are here. It's beginning.