2024… A Slight Change of Plan and a Life Update

If I had stayed on the path that I was on, I would have been in New Zealand right now. I’m not sure what exactly I would have been doing, but I would have taken a flight on my own and began an adventure into the great unknown.

However, life takes unexpected turns sometimes. Instead of being on the other side of the world, I found myself starting a life in Scotland, in a relationship and opening a cafe – none of which are things I could have predicted.

Ending 2023

I knew towards the end of last year that I needed a change, I just wasn’t exactly sure what that change was going to be. Going to New Zealand was not really planned, I just had an idea that I thought would be fun, and it gave me something to focus on, in a period where I was having a pretty tough time. I’d told work I would be leaving in November and I’d prepped my parents for moving back in with them for a month whilst I packed up my stuff and got ready for a year away.

But all of a sudden, I had a reason to stay, and something new to explore a bit closer to home. New Zealand will always be there, so instead of booking a flight, I packed up my car and headed to Edinburgh.

Life in Scotland

I’ve always been a countryside girl, so I never thought I’d find myself living in a city. That being said, Edinburgh doesn’t feel like a city at all. Surrounded by hills and greenery, only a short drive to the nearest mountain range and the sea a 20 minute walk from the flat, it really has got everything. I’m still not used to having a supermarket on the doorstep, in the Lake’s it was a 30 minute drive to the nearest one.

Within a month of moving, my boyfriend had found a cafe and we’d starting helping them out a couple of days a week to learn the ropes. Before we knew it, we were on our own and had a business to run. I’m not going to lie, I was well out of my comfort zone. Though I’ve worked in hospitality and cafes a lot over the years, this was far more responsibility then I’d ever had before. It’s been a rollercoaster, but I’ve learnt and grown a lot over the last few months.

Changing all aspects of your life, all at once, can be tough. There are times when I’ve found it overwhelming and I’ve struggling not having my friends just around the corner like I had in the Lakes. But I’ve been trying my best to push myself out my comfort zone and meet new people (through a lot of the same methods I talked about in my previous post). I’ve also started going to therapy again. The last time I did it, it had such a huge, positive impact on my life, and I’ve been meaning to start going again for over a year.

Adventuring

I very optimistically thought that being in Scotland, I’d be out in the mountains all the time. Unfortunately, that hasn’t yet been the case. Getting the cafe running smoothly has been our top priority, and the short days and stormy weather has made adventuring around work pretty difficult.

So far this year, I’ve had one cold water dip on new years days and a few of short hikes exploring the local area. I’ve also joined a couple of park runs on a Saturday morning, which I’ve really enjoyed and I have been spending a lot of time in the gym. Though it’s not my preferred backdrop for exercise – it has meant I’ve been able to keep my fitness levels up, without having to be out in the mountains.

Social Media and Blogging

If you follow my social media, you may have noticed that I’ve been posting on instagram less and less. I seem to have lost any enthusiasm I had for the app. When I started using it, there was such a great community. I would often be having conversations with people, sharing tips on where to go, meeting up for hikes and having a genuine interest in what people were posting and where they were going. Recently however, it just feels like everyone is trying very hard to keep up with the algorithm and it seems to have lost its authenticity. Creating reels to promote hikes just doesn’t appeal to me. I spend time outdoors because I love it. I don’t want to take away from that feeling by having to capture videos of every step I take.

It’s also been over 6 months since I’ve posted anything on here. I’ve had every intention of getting back to it, but have struggling with finding the motivation and creativity to get back into writing. But here we go, you have to start somewhere right?

What’s Next?

I’m very excited to have a few things in the diary. Next weekend I’m heading down to the Lake District, and I am trying to squeeze in as much as I can, and catch up with as many people as possible. I’m also keeping my fingers crossed for a camp – just hoping the weather holds up.

Things are starting to settle down with the cafe and we’re getting into more of a routine. This means I’ve got more time and energy to spend on other things and I can hopefully get back to a few more creative outlets.

Unfortunately, with the cafe currently just being the two of us, booking a holiday of any sort is out of the question until something changes. I would absolutely love to get another multi day hike in this year though, so will be trying to come up with a plan to make it happen!

Happy Adventuring x