The Quarantine Diaries 29: Moving On

Like a long lonely stream
I keep runnin’ towards a dream
Movin’ on, movin’ on
Like a branch on a tree
I keep reachin’ to be free
Movin’ on, movin’ on

Not a poem of the day today, then, but a song. This was always a favourite of mine and my husband’s, especially when we lived in the U.K., where there was precious little sun. I remember our excitement when he was offered the job in Barcelona, and we both agreed we had “finally” made it to our place in the sun. Well, we’d made it that far but there was nothing “final” about it: three moves around Catalunya and a year on the Costa del Sol later, and once again it’s time for us to move on.

There’s not quite so much sun in Slovenia as here in the South of Spain, but there’s considerably more than in the U.K.. There are two other distinct advantages over where we are now, as far as I’m concerned, namely a temperate climate (I wilt in the heat), and green, green grass. It may be a cliche, but the thing I miss most about my native U.K. is (as a friend once put it) ‘the green.’ The further South you travel in Spain, the more you notice the lack of green. I am already dreaming lush Alpine meadows and the tranquility of a glassy mountain lake. What’s not to like?

The Road Ahead

I don’t like the stress of moving: I don’t like packing; I don’t like paperwork; and I hate goodbyes. But this has all been done: our belongings have already arrived at destination; the paperwork (including documents which should allow us to transit through Italy and France) has been signed and goodbyes have been said. A few tears have been shed. Now it is truly time to move on.

We have planned for a three-stage journey: Malaga-Tortosa tomorrow, Tortosa-Nice on Saturday and Nice-Slovenia on Sunday. Our first stop will be the aptly named ‘Hotel Corona.’ What could possibly go wrong?

To the regular readers of this blog, I also want to say thank you first of all for reading, secondly for your kind words of encouragement and thirdly for keeping me sane throughout this lockdown. It’s being trapped in this bizarre situation which has made me realise I need to write in order to stay sane. If you enjoy what I write, so much the better! I will probably be off-radar for the next few days, though I’ve scheduled some poetry for the weekend. I look forward to catching up with your stories, and sharing some more of mine, when I reach my new destination.

I may have to think of a new name for these diaries when we arrive in Slovenia, as technically speaking the country is already out of quarantine. Suggestions on a postcard please, and in the meantime I wish you all peace, love and inspiration.

Ingrid