Skip to main content

Isle of Wight Time

We decided to vary from English countryside and try the English seaside instead. The prospects were not good. This week it snowed in London, the week was grey and cold, we were exhausted from a nasty week at work. For the first time in years we did not go in search of guaranteed warm sun as we always do in the first May Bank Holiday. Initially planned as a Cornwall trip, our weekend turned to the Isle of Wight, also unknown to us. 
Isle of Wight is not disappointing so far. The classic English manor house at the Priory Bay Hotel offered us a superb room with a view overlooking the estate and the sea. The friendly staff are welcoming of our unstoppable toddler though we are surprised to see almost no guests (after the website said they were full and we called just to give it a try). The estate also give us direct access to a large sandy beach (from where I started this blog) where we spent a long lazy time watching the sea, collecting stones and throwing up them back at the water. The beach had only locals who immediately took the good weather on offer. They all seem to have a dog, must be a requirement around here. By good weather I mean we were ok in our wintery jackets, not in shorts or t-shirts! C played endlessly with stones and sand. She does not get messy enough as she is often oicky about having her hands dirty so we encouraged her and, as we moved to the beach 'next door', a pebble beach, she enjoyed laying down and burying daddy on the stones. 
The afternoon took a turn away from the sea as we decided to visit the IOW Zoo. At first we were suspicious of whether we were making the right choice, but as we started the tiger feed we knew we were in the right place. Tiger Aisha chose to place her meal just in fromt of us, a meter away, where we could enjoy the scenery without having to zoom in any camera. Of all places, I never thought Isle of Wight Zoo would be where I would see closer lions, tigers and a jaguar. Exhausted but happy we finished our day with a muffin by the beach. 
As we walked on the beach I got nostalgic of what i know won't last forever. When one of our long lasting dreams comes through and we move to Portugal, we know we will have less time for our core. So we promised we would do this no matter what, to spend time with each other. And stop to watch throw pebbles and get our hands in the sand. Thank you Isle of Wight for a happy (Portuguese) mother's day!

 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Time is what makes us different

I heard what is likely to become one of my top 3 favourite quotes on a podcast on Friday. "Time is the only real democratic asset. We are all awarded the same time, it is what we do with it that distinguishes us".  Now, I recognise that most of us need to work with survive and that is not democratic throughout. But on an equal opportunity basis, this is an interesting way of putting it. For many years I did not understand why MS thought my resume was so interesting. In fact, they chased me during the entire recruitment process, even though I had no idea of moving to London or Finance. I wanted to be a consultant and stay in Lisbon forever. But traditional consultants in Portugal saw nothing in me, and MS did not let me go. When I started screening resumes and hiring people a couple of years later is when I understood why I was different. TIME.  I was truly different about what I did with my time. Not necessarily the basics - choice of degree or anything. But really ...
1 comment
Read more

De-cluttering for opportunity

As I binged listened to the Bixchix podcast today ( Episode #31 Married with Luggage ), I got to meet this entrepreneur who left her life with her husband to go travel the world. No, I am not here to talk about quitting my job and travelling the world near and far (I have 2 children remember?). What called my attention was that as part of this process, she had to de-clutter, sell her stuff, carry a suitcase to another country and at the end leave no house behind. I have recently had a good de-cluttering spree so I relate to it, as I am not quite done yet. There are still bags to be taken to charity downstairs (hidden from the children as they have not seen those with toys) and I know there is more in the house that we can certainly leave without. But this is the extent of my de-cluttering drive right now, stuff. What I thought this episode brought new perspective was about de-cluttering is about so much more than stuff . Betsy Talbot argues it is actually about de-cluttering fro...
Post a Comment
Read more

London FintechWeek - Day 1 Reflections

Today, I attended the day 1 of the London Fintech Week. It is exciting to have the opportunity to be part of such an event - personally and professionally.  I have done my formal work debrief so now want to focus on some reflections.  The first session that called my attention was  ‘Is London still the world’s financial center?’.  by Nick Murray-Leslie. The speaker was clearly making a case for it but the more he provided the arguments for it, the gloomier I got about the prospects. Talent is key - and the environment is not prone to it as Brexit talks progress. And no, it is not all about Brexit but it certainly does not bode well for people wanting to hire across Europe and for talent looking for exciting opportunities. Moreover, in general terms and outside Brexit, I find that the world will be much less about where you are but rather about where you are connected. In a not so distant future it may not matter if we are based in London or Rome to do many of t...
1 comment
Read more