Today, I am feeling unbelievably autumnal. What’s even better is that I know that the season is only just beginning – there’s so much more of it yet to come!
Yet I feel as though Autumn has gained an undeserved image of being an “in between” season by many – that awkward stage after Summer, but before Winter fully kicks in. And in the mountains this belief is even more prominent. Where lift stations shut down for inter-season, leaving the towns quiet, and the mountains empty; the mountain bikers long departed but the snowboarders yet to arrive. The mountain resorts shut down to reveal the few but true locals who somehow survive there year round.
I however, have moved back home for a few months, to the glorious South West of England. Where the leaves are turning, the evening skies are an array of deep reds with golden under tones, and spiced pumpkin lattes are rife! It was today as I was drinking my first of these delicious creations of the season, that I started to think about the change ahead. Having left Morzine after 9 months of making it into my mountain home, I’m now back in my hometown of Portishead. That in itself is making rather a large difference in my life. No more hikes out of the front door, or yoga on the balcony that’s for sure! But fear not, it’s only for a month before I make the long flight half way across the World to explore new ground for a year in Queenstown, New Zealand.
When I first decided to move to NZ it seemed like such a straight forward concept. No different to moving to France is it!? However now I’m back in the UK, the reality is starting to settle in – this is a huge adventure! New places, new people, new mountains… New time zone! Many thoughts were whirling around my head earlier about how these changes will have an effect. To start: How on earth will I be able to call my Mum at least 5 times a day when there will only be a matter of hours when we are both awake at the same time?!
But with these worries pushed aside for a moment, I am looking ahead to a year in what I can only gather to be an absolutely breathtaking country. Anyone who has been there before has only expressed an insane love for this pacific island, with nothing between its southern tip and Antarctica. With an amazingly varied environment of lakes, fjords, mountains, and beaches, predictions so far are that I’m unlikely to want to return home anytime soon!
So although there may be hurdles along the way (albeit the phone call situation is the only one coming to mind currently), I personally think that whilst you’re not tied down to one place in particular, you should see as much of the World as you can. Or at least the bits that you want to see! And with an autumnal chill blowing in at the moment, the change of seasonal time zone back to a warm climate in New Zealand will be an exciting change - even if I have to put up a BBQ on Christmas day!
Yet I feel as though Autumn has gained an undeserved image of being an “in between” season by many – that awkward stage after Summer, but before Winter fully kicks in. And in the mountains this belief is even more prominent. Where lift stations shut down for inter-season, leaving the towns quiet, and the mountains empty; the mountain bikers long departed but the snowboarders yet to arrive. The mountain resorts shut down to reveal the few but true locals who somehow survive there year round.
I however, have moved back home for a few months, to the glorious South West of England. Where the leaves are turning, the evening skies are an array of deep reds with golden under tones, and spiced pumpkin lattes are rife! It was today as I was drinking my first of these delicious creations of the season, that I started to think about the change ahead. Having left Morzine after 9 months of making it into my mountain home, I’m now back in my hometown of Portishead. That in itself is making rather a large difference in my life. No more hikes out of the front door, or yoga on the balcony that’s for sure! But fear not, it’s only for a month before I make the long flight half way across the World to explore new ground for a year in Queenstown, New Zealand.
When I first decided to move to NZ it seemed like such a straight forward concept. No different to moving to France is it!? However now I’m back in the UK, the reality is starting to settle in – this is a huge adventure! New places, new people, new mountains… New time zone! Many thoughts were whirling around my head earlier about how these changes will have an effect. To start: How on earth will I be able to call my Mum at least 5 times a day when there will only be a matter of hours when we are both awake at the same time?!
But with these worries pushed aside for a moment, I am looking ahead to a year in what I can only gather to be an absolutely breathtaking country. Anyone who has been there before has only expressed an insane love for this pacific island, with nothing between its southern tip and Antarctica. With an amazingly varied environment of lakes, fjords, mountains, and beaches, predictions so far are that I’m unlikely to want to return home anytime soon!
So although there may be hurdles along the way (albeit the phone call situation is the only one coming to mind currently), I personally think that whilst you’re not tied down to one place in particular, you should see as much of the World as you can. Or at least the bits that you want to see! And with an autumnal chill blowing in at the moment, the change of seasonal time zone back to a warm climate in New Zealand will be an exciting change - even if I have to put up a BBQ on Christmas day!