Grand New Adventure

Not all grand adventures begin with great ambition. Sometimes they begin with frustration, a little desperation and a bucket load of fear. This new and exciting project has taken me from quite a dark place to one of hopeful anticipation. Mike and I have lived in the US for 18 years now. We have loved living here on our little plot of land, with Ivy the dog and Sarah the cat, our chickens, bees, and all the passing wildlife. The last few years have been tough on our belief system and sense of the place we call home.

I watched in horror on January 6, 2021 as live reporting showed the invasion of the Capitol building. We all saw this with our own eyes, but now I am told I have a fake news generated hysteria. I watched the loud mouthed bully that egged on his army wriggle out of any consequences, as he has done all his life. I watched him become the Republican candidate AGAIN. I watched as he romped back into power, not only winning the Electoral College vote but the popular vote. Since then I have watched him dismantle the checks and balances that have protected US democracy, deny due process to those he is rounding up and shipping out, attack the judicial system, and defund education, science, the arts and world aid.

The journey Mike and I are on now, began with a half joking exercise in 'What if?'. We set our alarm early each morning, so we can sit in bed and drink coffee for a while before I have to get up and go to work. Each morning I go to my trusted media platforms and read the most recent news. One morning about three months ago Mike said, "What if we explore moving back to the UK? Let's look and see what our options are". I had never thought I particularly missed home, my family sure, but not the place. However, the moment we began to look at property and research possible places to lay down our roots I was flooded by an overwhelming desire to go home.

Since then it has been a whirlwind of decisions and planning. Once we found a little stone cottage in Wales close to where I used to take childhood holidays in which to live, I began looking for suitable property to open a small gallery. It is the only thing I know how to do and is a part of who I am. It may all seem a bit arbitrary, but every choice has been made carefully and has felt exactly right. We are so excited to be on this adventure.

I have felt guilty about leaving our home here, but have been met with such compassion and understanding from our friends. The warmth and well-wishes they have cloaked us with has comforted me. I am leaving the US glad for my experiences and the people I have met and who have shared their time with me. And, as our future prospects shape up, we approach this new project with great ambition for its success and a definite sense of privilege to have the freedom to follow this path.