i have a 17 year old daughter, and every now and then i have to remind myself how great it is that she still talks to me (sometimes non-stop, it seems)! as a former expat (british and living in the US for 13 years), i can almost taste the expat-blues, as you describe them. what helped me was reading books that transported me, tardis-like, back to england. i had a little shelf of books that i wallowed in when circumstances demanded a little wallowing be done. now i am ‘home’ and my special bookshelf is full of books that can whisk me back to america in a flash … of course, i miss life there as much as i missed life here. we humans are such contrary creatures!

as for my place to escape to: it is a hidden hummock by a tiny, steep-sided stream in east sussex, within walking distance of my home. the stream is like a minature grand canyon; it’s sides are covered in moss and ferns; in autumn there are drifts of golden leaves; in spring a carpet of bluebells; in summer the fields i walk through to reach my secret place are full of red sorrel, golden buttercups, butterflies, skylarks; and even in the grip of winter there is a strange stark beauty about this place that captivates me.

good night!
rebecca

p.s my favourite clothing company is a danish one — noa noa! i guess they are a bit smockalicious, but also amazing colours and fabrics and great skirts.

funny that

when i lived there
here was my island escape
now i live on the island escape
melbourne is my escape

what’s that you say . . .
greener grass?

My dream escape? A backwoods cabin next to warm turquoise ocean. It has lovely old wooden furniture and warm colours all around. It’s solitary, but I see my soulsisters regularly and have a generous lover who totally gets me and who drops when he picks up the vibe. Someone drops off healthy groceries and I have all the time (and creativity) into the world to make them into delicious meals. Count me in on the fast internet. I want an always heated outdoor bathtub and soft fluffy towels. I also want a yoga teacher who comes to my cabin daily to do one-on-one yoga. I can also magically paint and create fabulous art.

I used to feel bad that I loved time away from the kids, but I’ve come to realize that my introvert self needs that time in order to recharge my “batteries.” I’m happier when I can make time for myself, even if it’s just a few stolen moments curled up in the hammock in my back yard.

When I go somewhere in my mind, it’s to the North Shore of Minnesota, up on a cliff overlooking Lake Superior. I love the feel of being up high over the water crashing on the rocks below, feeling a cool breeze against my skin, and looking out over the water. I’d be staying at Naniboujou Lodge, in a quiet room overlooking the Lake and eating wonderful meals next to their huge dining room stone fireplace. In the morning I’d read in one of their big adirondack chairs on the shore, in the afternoon take nature walks, and in the evening have a glass of wine on the porch.

Ahhh, it’s a wonderful place to go, if only in my mind!

Dream place? Back home in the Faroes, the chickens, the potato patch, the dome-office in the garden, earning a living talking to interesting people and telling stories in text and sound.
Well, kind of possible… only I want warm summers too, and fruittrees and fish for dinner four times a week (that one is possible too…., have to think harder here….)
Yes, having a solid and secure base, a place to call my own, tastefully decorated and magically tidy, happy, thriving and creative children doing their thing and letting me share the ride. No laundry or at least only when I really would love to do some. Yes and travelling the world in a gipsy wagon. With the family. And quiet time when I want it. A tidy gipsy wagon.
What a mix.

As for my dream world, my imaginary escape hatch is a warm cabin in the mountains near a lake with lots of trees. There’s an occasional snow, but only enough to make everything pretty, not enough to make life miserable. There’s an unlimited supply of yarn, a comfy chair and a fire for roasting marshmallows. Though, someone else roasts the marshmallows without burning them, because I just like eating them. My cabin is connected by bus (because I’m not driving in the snow) to a major city with a real art supply store, a good yoga studio and a decent vegetarian restaurant. Chris lives in the cabin next door and it’s connected by a walkway– kind of like the set up that Frida Kahlo and Diego had (minus Diego’s girlfriends). And yes, superfast internet, a hot tub, and excellent north light windows for painting. I could keep going with this for days, I think…

Thank you for your honesty.

Hugs,

Trenda

I’m not an expat but sometimes I feel like an alien in my world. Where is my escape? I’m not sure. I think it’s in learning new things and pushing my own boundaries. I like to feel like I’m growing because I can make that happen when the world around me doesn’t “seem” like it’s changing.

My kids don’t stop talking either. It’s delightful but (mostly) exhausting.