Travel: Bari, Italy

If you follow me on Twitter you'll know I spent the last few days with family in Italy.

Now, when it comes to travelling, I'm pretty organised... to the point where I was pretty much packed a week in advance. So when it came to 10:30am on Saturday, I'd been ready for around four hours already.

I was pretty gutted I didn't grab the window seat on the plane - hello, where is the obligatory shot of the sky?! 

We arrived in Bari by 9pm and headed straight to my Aunt's for food.
The view from the balcony was a bit soggy and grey the next morning but the life on that street was like no other.

The temptation to pick that plump lemon from the tree was very strong! I just about managed to resist. I'm hoping, one day, I'll have a little place of my own with enough room for beautiful things like lemon trees and flowers.

An abandoned, derelict cinema in Santo Spirito - it was exquisite! It would have been great to have a nosey inside but unfortunately it was all boarded up. 

Imagine turning it in to a house!

Later that night, me and a few others took the dog for a walk and somehow managed to slip in to a little cake shop - we may or may not have left with around 16 of these beauties.

Despite it being a little early in the season for blood oranges we were lucky enough to get our hands on a few. My, oh my, they were perfect!  

It was lovely to take the weekend off - no phone, internet, boring stuff - and just spend it with family. It's not often I'll have the opportunity to do things like this, soaking up the atmosphere, people, culture... and food.

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This Week #1

This week has been a real mixed bag. I've been everything and nothing. Introvert and extrovert. 

Monday through Wednesday was great, my head was full with new ideas, goals and desires. I was able to accomplish a lot - my writing progressed immensely! I clear my head and even spent an evening with some friends. All of which felt great!

Towards the second half of the week I think I lost my footing a little. My judgement became clouded and my self awareness wasn't what I hoped it would be. A few lousy nights of little sleep didn't aid me, at all.

Sometimes, my perfectionism is detrimental and becomes a more self destructive than anything else.

Now, that's not to say the end of this week was a total flop. I spent Friday in Leeds with my younger sister. I'm glad she's got her priorities right, she's smart and has the whole world ready for her, just as she is.

In a little under two weeks my Dad and I are taking the weekend to visit some family in Italy. I'm hopeful this will be a chance for me to gain a little headspace and surround myself with humbling souls.

This week's teaching: "Are you scared? Or are you not ready? There's a difference."

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A Story And A Song

After reading Sometimes Sweet's blog post on 'Journal Days' I decided there might be a few prompts that would spark some creativity/ideas. I kept my eyes peeled and to my luck the second prompt was a winner.

Robbie Williams - Mr Bojangles.

This song was the one that lead to a change in taste of music, swing, jazz and blues soon became a firm favourite after this. It hurls me back to when I was a lot younger - mostly reminding me of mini road trips with Pap and taking every Monday morning off to go for coffee and a toasted croissant.

Things have changed a lot since then but there are times when we both still listen to this song. I think the familiar whistling entertains the feeling of nostalgia we share. He longs for a time when I was small enough to sit on his knee and I long for a time when I didn't have to be in school on a Monday .

However nostalgia isn't the only feeling that surrounds Robbie Williams' rendition of this swing classic. Happiness, serenity, ambition and desire for a further utopia all remind me of those car journeys with my best friend, even silence was a welcomed feeling.

One of the first things I think of when I hear this song is the long haul trip we take to Italy every year. It would be around 3am and I'd wake from a slumber to find the car still going at a steady pace, everyone asleep but Dad - not once did he make a fuss about being alone at 3am driving through Switzerland, I admire him for that. 

After a long discussion about the food we couldn't wait to eat and the faces we longed to see, Pap would instinctively put our song on and I'd slowly but surely drift back to sleep.

There have been times when we've sang it, whistled it, cried to it, sat in silence to it, (probably even) bickered over it but it will be a constant and vivid memory of mine. One so vivid I can almost close my eyes and be transported to the same surroundings, weather and emotions that the mellow tune so often linked to.

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Happy 10

10 things that have made me happy this week!

1. The sound of heavy rain on the roof and windows. It’s been constant this week, and I’ve not minded a bit.
2. Assisting with essential Christmas shopping. I'm often put in charge of present and card buying, and this year I enjoyed it more than last.
3. Reading my Auntie's blog. I hadn't known about it until a few days ago, she has now given me even more inspiration to carry on writing!
4. Getting the house ready for my brother, Max and his friend, Didi's arrival. He's been away from home for a while now, although sometimes stressful, it's always a delight to have him back.
5. A fruit bowl piled high with clementines. Oh so juicy!
6. Being lucky enough to have a few close friends and family members I can really open up to when things get a little rough.
7. Making lists. I'm not so secretly a complete perfectionist and lists keep me organised.
8. Frank Sinatra's Christmas album - It's less than a week until Christmas and I've over played it. Still, his sweet, smooth voice is charming to say the least.
9. Handing in my English Language coursework (early might I add!) - I couldn't be more ecstatic that it's out of the way and I can have a swell break.
10. Sparking a smile on my Mum's face. Christmas can be a difficult and reflective time for us both, so seeing her face light up when I tell a highly embarrassing joke is lovely.

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