Slowing down before winter
Slowing down before winter
Thoughts about October, nomad work and history
Well, I guess that’s officially the end of summer then… it’s raining. Properly. And last night the wind was blowing with such serious intent it almost succeeded in taking us with it. I am very delighted that my summer has lasted so far into October. It does help that I have been meandering in the southern regions of France where the temperature is generally warmer than in the greater latitudes…
The decision was in part influenced by the French petrol industry strikers who are causing debilitating queues at empty gas stations throughout the country…
I figured if I travelled under 50km a day or stayed in one place for three nights at a time I should save on the need to visit said stations. So far so good ! An added benefit of slowing down was the discovery that I could get more work done and thus reduce my anxiety levels. I am so loving my lifestyle, but I was getting a little worried that I wasn’t getting eight hours of work at my desk like I used to do, you know, like any good business owner ought to be doing if they’re serious about their business.
It turns out, instead of sitting at a desk for eight hours plodding about “doing productive things” or making myself believe I am - in the little time I do sit down to work I actually do things that need to be done. Does that make sense ? I suppose you could say the work is much more concentrated and targeted. If only I’d thought of that before. Maybe I would have got even more done in my eight hours… No - that’s not the answer: I am finding that working fewer hours makes me more productive, that’s what I am trying to say. Maybe there’s a message here for the bosses out there…
Some days I don’t get to work at all. In the morning I plot my day’s travel, decide where I’ll stop for a visit, or to buy groceries or do laundry, and where I’ll stop to overnight. It’s happened that the place I visit is so darned beautiful I spend the whole day there, and leave no time for work. Or, the place where I had decided to camp is on the other side of a tiny mountain village with streets so narrow my 2.2m wide bus will take the plaster off the walls, and I have to negotiate getting out of there when a truck comes up on the other side and now what, and when I finally do make it out I spend another hour on the apps figuring out where the next best place will be, and when I eventually get there I am so exhausted all I can do is warm up yesterday’s food and snuggle up with Netflix… phew !
October has been magnificent. The light is magical, you can see the sun is sitting lower on the horizon, because the light is soft and warm and you don’t need to wear sunglasses to drive :) That’s a first for me. The warm temperatures we’ve had were record high thanks to global warming (not that I support it !) And because I wasn’t running to a destination I really took the time to enjoy the region I was visiting.
Who would have thought I would swim in the Mediterranean sea in the middle of October ? I didn’t even know the Romans had dug tunnels in the calcareous rock for their aqueducts, but I hiked there because I saw a spot on Google Maps and I thought, I’ve got to see this ! And I walked through that dark little tunnel and came out on the other side and wondered at what the slaves were made to do back then. Let’s not get into that.
The tunnels and the giant stone bridge across the river Gard were wonderful to behold and I love that France takes so much pride in its heritage that so many ancient pieces are maintained and prepared for the public to see. Some by the state, and so many by private volunteer associations who give their time and expertise to renovate old buildings and sites. It helps to give us a sense of perspective, to remember how far people have come - how they used to live and what used to be important to them then - how important it is to remember how much life has improved over the centuries (not everywhere in the world mind you) - I don’t think we can be reminded enough to be grateful to those exceptional people who changed the course of history one way or another, so many forgotten.
Things feel bad these days, everyone seems to be struggling, but if you look back, being able to warm your house to 19 degrees Celsius in winter is a luxury… imagine if your windows didn’t have glass in them, or your roof wasn’t insulated, or you had to go out and chop wood for your smoky fireplace to get a bit of warmth that would seep out of the stone walls or under the rickety door anyway… I am very grateful that my bus has a central heating system, imagine that !! I’ve got the feeling I’m going to start using it pretty soon… Hope I find gas bottles in the stations this winter !
Hopefully you’re still enjoying reading my little travel summaries, I love being able to keep everyone updated, I never feel like I’m travelling on my own because I’m constantly rehearsing what I’ll be telling you about next - and then when I start writing it all comes out completely different..
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Ah, yes, the joys of slow travel! And people here in Levanto, Italy, are also still swimming in the sea. And, yes, fewer working hours can definitely concentrate the mind!