Your Escape Blueprint

Being free to live life as we want too is finally feeling real!

We have spent the last two months reconnecting with family and friends…. the last few weeks with our Canadian ones and the weeks prior with our English ones.

Previous visits to see the family consisted of a huge expense to fly out to the UK, spend 2 frantic weeks scurrying around to see as many people as possible, before flying home to deal with the house, the bills and work.  We were always left with the distinct feeling that we needed a holiday!

Trips to see our Canadian family, although more regular were usually very brief! We would arrive tired and fraught from a long drive, having to cross high mountain passes also meant that many times we had to deal with snow and black ice………. Fishtailing back & forth before sliding sideways down the highway is not conducive to a pleasant trip!!!!!  Having to do this trip 2 times in one weekend in order to get back to work was not fun!

Since we simplified our lives and became vagabonds, our stresses are gone! We do not have to be at work! No work to do around the house……. Someone else can rake all those leaves Yay!

If you have been following our adventures you already know that we have rented our home and the income from that is enabling us to be these world travelling vagabonds. More importantly it has given us the time to reconnect with family and friends.

In England, we got to spend a lot of time with our good friend Peter, Pauline and her family (saved her kitchen from a freezer meltdown by being there). We also got to see my old friends Vanessa & Steph! We also were treated royally by aunts, uncles, parents and siblings.

It was also a great opportunity to spend lots of time with some of my sisters and brothers and a chance to get to know them as people, as adults, to find out what goes on in their worlds. Instead of the fuzzy memories you have from childhood, which surprisingly you may not agree upon!

Most importantly we were able to spend lots of time with my Dad. Many of you may know what it is like to see an elderly parent after spending time away, only to be shocked at the changes you see. The reality is that what is a gradual change to them comes as a shock to you……. This was a big wake up call to me and it will not be years before we are back again.

The biggest shock to us was the reminder that time is ticking away, one day our loved ones will be gone and all we will have left is memories of time spent together! My Mum died very suddenly a few years ago, so suddenly that no one had time for goodbyes! After listening to this long distance disembodied voice telling me that I would see my Mother no more, my values shifted…….. why had it been so long since we visited???? More importantly was it worth it……. the answer of course was no.

Take the time, build memories together, go walk on a beach with your brother or take your nephew to the wildlife park, cook dinner with your Mom ……….. For without our connections, our friends, our families, life is incomplete and lacking.

After all what would a pair of vagabonds do without the moral support of that family? Our families and friends have welcomed us into their homes and hearts with open arms and wherever we are they know that they too are very, very welcome.

Surprised? I was…… is it really five months since we handed the keys over and set out!

Looking back we have covered a lot of ground, visiting 17 different countries and clocking up over 12,000 km on our lease car in Europe and who knows how much in the UK…….. we didn’t quite visit all corners, even if  it felt like it. From my home town in the East Midlands we went to Cornwall, Conwy Wales, Aberdeen Scotland and explored the coastline nearer home visiting Hunstanton, Wells & Cromer

Mike has taken over 10,000 photographs, some of which you may have seen………. Fantastic aren’t they?

Yes we are back in Canada as planned! This is not the end of our adventures only a maintenance stopover……. All that fun stuff like Doctors, Dentist, Bookkeeping and even my Orthodontist (yes I finished my Invisalign treatment and have a brand new smile……. I am going to miss my visits to Dr Smith’s office and Susan’s cheery smile! This break also gives us a chance to catch up with family, friends and what a perfect time to be home! Thanksgiving dinner was superb……. My Mother-in-Law is a fantastic cook!

Maintenance is now done including checking in on our tenant’s, pleased to report that all is well there. I have to be honest renting our house out was not a easy decision, however it is working out perfectly, all that work up front paid off. I remember the apprehension as we were working towards this.

Myself and Mike just cannot stop smiling, I shocked my Dr when I greeted him with a cherry hello and big smile, guess that is not normal. Life just keeps getting better! The journey continues so stay tuned!

We will be spending the next few weeks getting ready for the next stage of our adventure! Central America here we come! Sun, Sea, Sand and Scuba for us this winter!

We are back in sunny Vancouver, running around the lower mainland catching up with “maintenance” …….

Had two wonderful days with our favourite “East Enders” got over the jet lag and then on to Mission to get our wheels back on the road. Mission accomplished, we are mobile, good job as we have a busy few days! Today we visited Yvonnes Orthodontist (all done! managed to straighten my teeth and travel), the bank, one of our Toastmasters Clubs, Mike visited his old work place (update on that to follow) and went out for lunch. We even managed a visit to see Phoebe our beloved cat who we adopted out before we left on our travels, that was the hardest thing we have ever done. She has settled in very well and her new family obviously love her as much as we do, thank you!

Tomorrow is even busier …….. Drs, Dentist and a visit to our house to do a walk through and assure ourselves that all is well with the house and the tenants. This is solely for our peace of mind and having already done a drive by we are confident that all is well, more to follow on that also.

Rumours have been circulating……….. NO This is not the end of our travels, merely a pitstop to do the maintenance stuff, see the rest of the family and get ready for our next adventure. At this point we are not sure if it is going to be Central America i.e Belize, Costa Rica, Panama & the islands of Honduras or Thailand and other parts warm and sunny. Only criteria is warm, sunny and somewhere we can go Scuba diving.

Where would you go???? You never know you may have the perfect place that we have never even considered….. go on leave us a comment at the bottom of the page.

Keep watching this spot as we have a backlog of fascinating places to share with you and stories of others who are starting to travel their own “Escape” paths.

When in Rome do as the Romans do! Or was that as the Romanians do?

When in Scotland eat as the Scots do. You can start the day off with stovies, arbroath smokies, Lorne sausage, Black pudding or maybe a butterie!

Lunch could be a Jock pie or a forfar bridie?

Dinner or tea could be cullen skink, mince, tatties and skirley or even Haggis, neeps and tatties (we still have not seen the much acclaimed “Wild” Haggis). This feast would be finished off with a “Fine Piece”!

This distinctive Scottish menu menu would keep you well fueled for dealing with what can be cold, wet weather, many carbohydrates and fats makes for a fine, stick to your ribs food.

For those of you who really want to know…. Breakfast would be a type of potato hash with a smoked fish, a slice of square sausage, blood pudding and the finest of all a butterie, a flaky pastry loaded with butter and salt.

Lunch is an ever-popular pie containing mince, onion, cheese, baked beans or even macaroni cheese.

A popular dinner favorite is cullen skink a rich soup of smoked haddock, potatoes, onions and cream, or minced beef, potatoes and a mixture of oats, onions and typically suet (skirley or mealy) perfect for soaking up all that gravy!

Haggis has so far been an elusive beastie, it is of course a stuffed sheep’s stomach containing various offal’s, oat etc. served with potatoes and turnips. All this of course finished off with a “Fine Piece” which is of course a cake or cookie.

So there you have it, how to decipher a Scottish menu. Enjoy!

Of course, it really helps when you have your own guide who has lived there for years!

Thanks Paul

Let’s face it if you are in Cornwall you have to visit “Lands’ End” after all this is where you see numerous signs boasting last Pub, last Petrol etc. Or is it? Apparently when most of Cornwall’s roads were narrow tracks barely wide enough for two cars to pass let alone the numerous tractors, this was the case. Not so much now though, the better roads have bought all the conveniences we love, which means more tourism and more development.

That development is very evident at Lands End this is the most westerly part of England. A windswept craggy toe stretching out into the sea! To get there you have to go through some hoops starting with £5 minimum for parking (no discount on the daily rate here). Then there is the amusement part… fun for all the family, 3D Adventures, swashbuckling pirates and more…….  for a tidy price of course!

All we wanted to do was stand at the End of the World (for some people it may as well be) and get a photograph with that famous signpost! Oh yes you have to pay for that too…….. although you do get it specially customised to show your home city.

The good news is that just up the coast is The Lizard, this little village is the most southerly part of England and provides what to me has been spoilt at Lands End. You do pay for parking, much more reasonable though and you can park up in the village and hike through. You run a gamut of a few little shops selling Cornish Cream Teas, Ice-cream and souvenir’s made from the indigenous rocks……… all very cute, quaint & delicious!

The Lizard is everything you would expect, craggy cliffs descending into the sea with a offshore line of water carved islands as testament to the seas power. You can walk down to a sheltered bay its fishing boats, bristle with lobster pots, as does the old lifeboat ramp! Peering down at the old concrete building and its descending ramp it didn’t take a huge stretch of the imagination to add a howling wind, mountainous seas and the brave souls who risked their lives to save their fellow man.

For a true taste of the End of the World visit The Lizard and see this land in all its beauty!

With the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics been and gone – it is time to reflect on the legacy left by the successful and very uplifting games.

The motto of the games was “Inspire a Generation”.

There however, appears to be a small problem when it comes to actually getting people get out to participate in sport – the availability of playing fields.

As a Canadian I am used to seeing playing fields be available to the public, they generally can be used 24 hours a day,  7 days a week,  365 days a year. They can be used for picnics, running the dog, playing with the kids, as well as facilitating organized sport.

Things are a little different in England. I first noticed in 2004  that the English approach to  playing fields accessablilty is a little different to the North American way of things. I was shocked to find out that playing fields associated with public schools are not open to the public. Almost every school playing field I have seen has been behind 8 foot fences and under lock and key. If you are able to scale the fence you will certainly be picked up by the enormous array of video cameras that watch your every move in this country.

I witnessed this firsthand the other evening as several teens jumped the fence on the public schoolyard behind where I am staying. Within 20 minutes 4 Lincolnshire police were chasing down the criminals.

The concept of denying access to tax payer funded facilities confabulates me. I am not sure if locking out the public is a result of how things have been done in this country for centuries, or possibly the risk of vandalism is so great that access to public open spaces can not be afforded. Either way the fences, locks, barbed wire and cameras makes me feel like criminal.

The other issue in England is the selling of public playing fields to developers. Is it possible that the justification for the sale is that the facilities are not being used, or just actions of short sighted cashed strapped government?

It would appear the practical result of the 2012 London Olympics is to inspire a generation to go play in the street.