Travelogue - Salzburg

Hello. Hello. I'm still desperately trying to catch up with everything after a week away from home. But I don't regret it! It was an absolute blast! A super weekend with The Steve and then a weeklong work conference, where I got to catch up with a lot of friends. I just wish this weekend was a day longer :)

But, I didn't want to leave the little ol' blog too much longer. Have you noticed that the longer you leave it between blog posts, the harder it becomes to think of something to say?

Anyway, I'm sharing one of my travelogue layouts with you which will no doubt end up as a 'chapter' style page within the album. I made this very simply by using some of the papers left over from my Notre Dame Layout - I didn't even cut them - and a few embellishments that were leftover from My Counterfeit Kit For August, plus a couple of lovely roses from Precocious Paper.

I'm trying to keep the separating pages clean and simple, but have recurring themes and colours throughout. I'm hoping that will give the whole album, with it's very different stories, some much needed continuity. I've never actually made layouts with the whole album in mind before. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever made a whole layout album before, I normally stick to mini albums, so this is all new!

Now, there's some washing and ironing calling my name. *Groan* Wish me luck!

The Last Few Days

No breeze. Hot and sticky on the underground. Hugs and kisses at the train station. Idle chit chat over dinner. Drinks at the local pub and a quiet, peaceful stroll home in the late evening. Sleep. Lunch with Sarah's family. Walking the dog. Playing ball with the dog. Falling in love with the dog. Chocolate biscuits and cups of tea whilst watching old movies. Harry Potter (for the second time.) Sleep. A lazy breakfast. The Tube into London.

Lunch in Kensington. Lots of talking. (Talking is good.) Admiring South Kensington Gardens. The Victoria & Albert Museum. Tea and Tiffin. Covent Garden. Hustle and Bustle.

Sitting on steps and watching the world go by. Iced tea. The Woman In Black (for the fifth time. Sarah's first.) Goosebumps and ghostly tales. The Tube home. A cool night breeze. Sleep. Early morning wake up call. Tea and toast. Hughenden Manor.

Walk and talk around the estate. Butterflys. Refreshments at the little shop. Hugs and kisses at the train station. Hot and sticky on the underground. No breeze.

We're Hitting The Road

It looks as though I'm going to get my road trip. The Steve and I are meeting up with Steve's brother, Andy, and heading out of town for some forest walking; festival going and fun times. I'll be back in a week with a bit of a 'show and tell' - and believe me, judging by our last trip together, there should be lots to share.

While I'm gone, you can have a leisurely nose at the mini-album I made after our last trip, or the original trip photographs. Here's a peek -

Road Trip Love (Things I Love Thursdays!)

I wasn't really planning a theme for my Things I Love Thursdays! mosaic this week. I just opened up my favourites and picked a few at random. Obviously my subconscious was awake well before I had my first cup of tea this morning and knew full well what I would choose to write about today.

My feet have started itching. It's not a fungus, I promise, I just miss travelling. I'm daydreaming of taking a road trip - of long, dusty roads ahead of me; of tea in flasks and campfires blazing in the night. It's an odd feeling. It's a need, rather than a want.

I'm not entirely sure where this wanderlust comes from or why, every so often, I feel the need to leave everything behind for a while, but it's like recharging my soul; my sense of self. It isn't that I want to bugger off into the wild, never to return - though I admit that I have thought about that occasionally. Taking some time away from my comfort zone and away from my routine allows me to see things differently. To put everything in perspective. To feel moments of magic when the only thing that you're thinking about is what could be around the next bend in the road, and the afternoon sunlight hits the leaves in the trees so that you're bathed in a brilliant golden light, and you turn on the radio just in time to catch the first bars of the perfect song, and you breathe in deeply, and everything is alright in the world.

It's those moments that we remember when we head back home and sink ourselves back into our routine. It isn't that our routines aren't welcome - too much excitement and uncertainty probably isn't good for us - but thinking about those magicial moments doesn't just remind us of our summer holidays. Those memories remind us that life isn't just about work, television or laundry; life is about relationships; life is about freedom; life is about living.

1. vw camper van, 2. lonely in the night, 3. beautiful morning sky, 4. Sunrise Surfer (bw), 5. beachwalkers, 6. 'Amarula Sunset' - Masai Mara, 7. Dream road, 8. Double Rainbow, 9. “Is there anything more beautiful than a beautiful, beautiful flamingo, flying across in front of a beautiful sunset? And he's carrying a beautiful rose in his beak, and also he's carrying a very beautiful painting with his feet. And also, you're drunk.”, 10. Bolligton - Sunset Grass, 11. 知床國道 - 鈄里町, 12. 網走 - Route 39, 13. memories of summer 14. Not available 15. Not available 16. Not available.