Time flies.

Posted in Blog
On July 25, 2020
3 Comments.

Wow it just does not stop, it does not wait to give you half a breath to catch up. The passing of time is relentless and it’s fast! In this past year we have tried to grab those precious moments and slow time a little, but it flies… especially when you’re having fun, and we’ve done a bit of that this year! We hope that we have given the girls a vision of what is out there, a knowledge that they have options in this fleeting life, a feeling of urgency and responsibility to live their best possible life.

This year has certainly not all been smiles and joy, family life has morphed. We are more comfortable with each other; we know each other more deeply. We have seen amazing things and had incredible experiences, but possibly the best things of all have been those hiding plain sight, the small changes…

Sophie, no longer ordering from a childrens menu, tucking in diligently to a extra large crab salad, finding herself and her confidence through water sports. She knows that she can achieve whatever she puts her (strong) mind to! Her drive is so impressive!

Isla, conquering her fear of fish, camels, jellyfish and very many other things! Realising her goals are achievable and something be proud of, not to run from. Building on her contagious and hilarious sense of humour! Oh what would we do without that Isla craziness!

Jocie, her growth and independence have been stratospheric. She knows her force and worth and knows she can apply it to whatever gets in her way. On our first channel crossing over a year ago Ryan told her that she was the bravest 5 year old he knew, he meant it!

Talking yesterday, Ryan and I realised that we have probably been apart for a total of 24 hrs in the past year! This year has given us time to reconnect. It has reignited our respect for one another and it has united us as parents. After a rocky start ( it’s not easy being around so much oestrogen!) Ryan has really benefited from slowing down with his girls, he simply knows them better now!

These last few days have been weird and wonderful. Leaving Dalliance was a wrench. We sat on the dock in Annapolis looking out to the moorings, knowing Dalliance was 185 miles south of us, high and dry in a boatyard, “Is anyone missing Dalliance?” I asked.

“Yup.” came the unanimous response.

It’s a bit like having your comfort blanket swiped from beneath your feet. She is in safe hands though and we left her in a very decent state, so we are happy.

By far the weirdest experience in the past few days was Washington DC. Never before have I stood in the middle of the road in a city centre at 0830 on a weekday morning and been able to slowly take a picture.

The roads were empty, the place a ghost town. We went to the Whitehouse and saw the BLM posters and boarded up shop fronts. We went to National mall and had uninterrupted views from Lincoln memorial to the Capitol building, only a few joggers out, the total lack of people was jaw dropping! It has been amazing to see the pandemic through the eyes of a few different states. The fact the each state is able to implement their own way of handling the situation means that some are far more ‘closed’ than others. It’s very interesting. And now we will be able to compare it to the British reaction, first we will have to get through the flight which, in itself, will be a crazy experience!

We are truly looking forward to dropping things into conversations like:

“Oh that reminds me of the time we rode camels in the Sahara!”

“Do you remember lockdown in the British Virgin Islands?”

“Wow those pilot whales that cruised with us to the Balearics were amazing!”

I hope that doesn’t come across as boastful, we have just experienced so so many amazing things, and we are excited to share!

We have been in our bubble for 385 days. I asked the girls yesterday how they felt about returning to life in England and without exception they were all excited and ready. Sophie’s thoughts turned to friends and family, “I guess people will have had their own kind of different experiences at home, being in lockdown.” she said thoughtfully. I am sure she is right, this year has changed us all and although lockdown has caused a lot of people anxiety and has been hard, it has also given us time. It has slowed us down and enabled us to concentrate on the things that really matter.

So with hearts full of joy and heads full of memories we sign off. We will try to remember to watch the sunset occasionally, to play board games and laugh with each other, to watch and listen more closely, to stop momentarily and slow the world’s turn. Be sure that when we see you all, it will be hard to shut us up about this trip for a long time, be ready!

Thank you so much to everyone for taking an interest in our journey, it’s been an absolute joy to share it with you x