The trip to the Cretian farmers market in Míres at the weekend yielded a wonderful tea discovery. I bought (pictured clockwise from top) mint, mountain flower, dandelion and on the left of the photo is a local blend: Minoan Kings 13 mountain herbs of Crete. Honestly it’s delicious. Sweet, fragrant and layered. That night I drank a few mugs before bed. I couldn’t sleep, I woke at 2am to read for an age and still woke early. The next day…
Yesterday we trawled the farmer’s market in Míres and came back with a haul of veggies, herbs and teas. It’s too easy to slip into the old ways of eating as a vegetarian, which tends to consist of a wheat-based-carb (bread/pasta) with cheese and tomatoes. Working towards increasing the plant-based content of meals again this year. We do pretty well but to prevent lapses I need to be inspired. Last night we parked up with our new friends and shared…
Scrambled up a hill with my best hiking buddies this morning. Think they enjoyed it too ?. Life with this pair can be a bit of a handful at times – they have so much energy and need a lot of time outside. Luckily we’re outdoor people. Contrary to a lot of people’s perceptions, the dogs are easier to manage now we’re in a van because it’s new scenery every day, new hikes that keep them curious and excited, and…
We are past the first new moon since the winter solstice and the consolidation of ideas is forming in the waves that beat the rhythmic soundtrack to these short winter days. Ideas are no longer so disparate and ephemeral so that I can feel a way forward, if only marginally, but she’s there and I’m learning not to squash that impulse these days, instead choosing to kindle her like a tiny fire while finding the courage to let go of…
Everything takes infinitely longer in vantime. The laundry means finding a launderette, finding out what their system is and making sure we have the correct detergent and change. Often it’s on a busy street so we can’t park the van outside. On the plus side you can fit a shedload of washing in one machine and the dryers are often amazing. Laundry costs us between €20-€40 depending on the county we’re in. We do it once a month and wash…
/ woken by rolling thunderstorms / my heart is rhythmic waves beating inside the rib cave / rain pummels insistent against our van roof so that I can hear it erasing my bones / I disintegrate like sandstone / like a memory / like stars / I am white noise & nothingness / in dreams I am a waterfall / pierce the surface with the beak of a crow / I lie in bed & tumble into the otherworld…
We’ve been in the van for over a year now. It’s New Year’s Day & we’re in Crete. Definitely working at living our best lives is paying off, which has me thinking about what ‘living your best life’ means. Ten years ago we started out as freelancers, the kids were younger, and we lived in a small town in north Wales – Mold. Living our best lives then meant being stitched into our local community and I volunteered or…