We felt a little like fugitives hopping on the plane to Singapore just before Christmas 2020 to escape to Christmas. The story starts here even though this is really a reflection on 2021. Flying on an empty plane with a few contingent of diligent staff is a great luxury making travel magical again. It had helped that we'd not been on a plane for a year or so. We were reminded of our fugitive status as we were herded off the plane for our layover - Singapore is known for being strict but this was another level of control to avoid any contagion. We were sent to am almost entire wing of the airport to keep our distance. I did quite enjoy ordering brisket noodles and having it delivered to our sector!
Arriving in Adelaide was when we realised we'd reached peak madness when our military escort transferred to our hotel. Peppers on Waymouth was to be our home for 14 nights, which was actually 16 days including the arrival day and the last day. We survived the ground-hog day vibe, just, through a regular cadence of yoga, pilates, reading spy books and playing with a then 4 month old Adelaide. Sleep was a real challenge would much activity to help take the edges off jet lag.
We were finally free and for Mum and Raph is must have been very weird to meet Adelaide for the first time. The hipster flat while and chicken breakfast burger tasted so sweet with the extra dose of freedom. After all the restrictions being in the open air, bright summer sun and the prospect of 11 weeks of fun was intoxicating...
Our rough itinerary for the trip was:
3 weeks in Adelaide
1 week in Robe
1+1 week in Jan Juc (thanks for some extra days due to restrictions!)
A few short days in Melbourne
1 week at Bondi Beach
1 week on the Pittwater at Lovett Bay
2 weeks back in Adelaide
The Hilux added about 12,000km to its life. And I made myself really miss my friends in Australia. The lucky country will have to wait for us to live there.
It turned out to be more difficult to find a new place to move into once we returned, having put our entire life into a small storage box while we travelled. After a stay with our Swedish-Aussie friends we made a new home in at Carlton Mansions. Looking back my resistance to that flat was more a general hatred and anxiety when moving houses but it's turned out to be a lovely flat.
One of the real highlights for 2021 -and one that I hope will sustain into perpetuity- is the friendships made through parenting. We have/had a wonderful crew from the NCT and extra special is the small gang that formed around Adelaide's attendance at Carlton Hill Nursery. Our Filipino, Dutch, English, Swedish, Aussie and French gang really had a great year! Whether it was meeting on Friday evenings at the Elgin for speed-beers or in Paddington Rec for poppudums and white wine on a balmy weeknight or our Christmas dinner at the Summerhouse, i'm grateful.
The other highlight of the year was our summer jaunt to France. Taking the opportunity to spend 5 weeks in the Jura to work remotely turned out to be a great decision. Adelaide was able to spend a load of time with super-nanny Genevieve while Peggy was able to enjoy her swims in the lakes nearby. I was very happy to have open roads to stretch the cycling legs. We enjoyed having friends visit at various points and also celebrate Adelaide's first birth with various generations of cousins. Adelaide really grew up over that short period - not quite standing but definitely growing out of baby stage into a small toddler. The penultimate leg of that trip was to visit Cap Ferret. This has now been burned into my mind as the ultimate summer holiday location. Surfing in the Atlantic, evening oysters from the basin and riding bikes whimsically in the balmy breezes....it doesn't get much better (except to maybe own a place there - a different project!).
Escaping to Amsterdam for Jochim's 40th meant another little escape from London and the day-to-day. I've always liked Amsterdam and this was by far the best trip. Partly because it is very approachable with Adelaide and partly Peggy and I were able to take some lovely walks together along the canals.
And then everything became a blur. From late September I went into a hole of intense work. I was to say the challenge was enjoyable but I'm not sure. I learnt a lot, about tech companies and about my work and myself. But it took its toll, I think. While that engagement will continue next year it will need to happen on different terms, somehow.
I was crawling to Christmas, working up until the 21st December this year. The Jura in winter is a totally different proposition - the upside was to get a few delicious skis in incl. one on skins, the downside is all the hassles of managing an old house freezing over. It did feel like that for a few days every minute something else would break or stop working. At the time of writing i'm on a train to Geneva because our rental car broke down and I need to pick up the replacement a 2hr train ride away.
We're off to Cervinia on the 27th til the 3rd to enjoy some high alps. I've not skiied near the Matterhorn so am excited for that (and the shenanigans that go with the ski group).
Wishing you all a wonderful 2022. It's going to be huge!
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