I may be an aspiring travel writer, and far-flung jaunts are of course highly desirable, but when there’s delightful South Staffordshire countryside right on the doorstep, the oyster may sometimes be closer to home. What do people look for in travel? Beautiful scenery or architecture? Excitement? Exotic cultures? Escaping the familiar, or seeking the familiar but with added sunshine? I can identify with all of those, though the last one in my case wouldn’t be full English breakfast in Costa del Brit but choral singing in some fabulous European city – not that the sunshine always materialises on cue.
A change of tempo may be just as important as all the other aspects put together. Let’s face it, with ease of communications nowadays everything’s so fast-paced that it’s therapeutic to take time out and slow down. Taking a Sunday afternoon stroll along our local canal towpaths gives a refreshing perspective on life. Clean air, exercise, birdsong, scampering squirrels and a speed limit of 4 miles per hour restore a sense of proportion. A chance to notice the trees turning, a heron patiently poised for fishing, a family of mallards maturing from the fluffy ducklings of a few weeks earlier. Exchanging pleasantries with narrowboaters, relaxing aboard or touching up their paintwork, or hearing travellers’ tales during the slow process of navigating the locks.
It’s good to gather my breath before launching into a milestone week for my new venture. This is when things really get underway for my business start-up. Under the banner of the SPEED Plus project, there’s clearly going to be no hanging around – and at my time of life I’d better crack on if I’m going to make a success of this freelance writing lark. Way Beyond Words is duly registered with the taxman, the domain name’s bought, the email address is active, the logo’s in my mind’s eye, and in the space of the next week I will have had two meetings with my business consultant, a workshop on business plans and an intensive weekend residential. With a bit of luck the writing itself will get a look-in too. Speed-writing, perhaps.
After that, I reckon I’ll be needing another canal walk.
A change of tempo may be just as important as all the other aspects put together. Let’s face it, with ease of communications nowadays everything’s so fast-paced that it’s therapeutic to take time out and slow down. Taking a Sunday afternoon stroll along our local canal towpaths gives a refreshing perspective on life. Clean air, exercise, birdsong, scampering squirrels and a speed limit of 4 miles per hour restore a sense of proportion. A chance to notice the trees turning, a heron patiently poised for fishing, a family of mallards maturing from the fluffy ducklings of a few weeks earlier. Exchanging pleasantries with narrowboaters, relaxing aboard or touching up their paintwork, or hearing travellers’ tales during the slow process of navigating the locks.
It’s good to gather my breath before launching into a milestone week for my new venture. This is when things really get underway for my business start-up. Under the banner of the SPEED Plus project, there’s clearly going to be no hanging around – and at my time of life I’d better crack on if I’m going to make a success of this freelance writing lark. Way Beyond Words is duly registered with the taxman, the domain name’s bought, the email address is active, the logo’s in my mind’s eye, and in the space of the next week I will have had two meetings with my business consultant, a workshop on business plans and an intensive weekend residential. With a bit of luck the writing itself will get a look-in too. Speed-writing, perhaps.
After that, I reckon I’ll be needing another canal walk.
