Phew! We made it. 2021 seems like a salty chaser to the hot mess that was 2020. I trust yours has been palatable, and perhaps given you a bit of a colon cleanse along the way.
Here’s how ours went down:
01/21-05/21
After a very quiet Christmas and New Years in Ireland last year, on Jan 8, Jared saw me off as I travelled solo to NZ. I discovered that I got free Managed Isolation if I stayed in the country for longer than three months (as I had left before Covid started) so I decided that I would stay for three and a half months in New Zealand, then spend a couple of weeks in Australia on my way back home, and catch Clarissa’s wedding, to make the journey worthwhile.
Managed isolation was like four star prison. I was peppered with video calls and visitors, which was the only thing that kept me sane – and the walking around in circles on the deck outside. There were a lot of local treats that cannot be gotten in Ireland (Vogels!) and not a lot of sleep all round, but eventually I escaped, and was declared Covid-free and unleashed on Auckland.
After catching up with some truly excellent people, seeing some epic America’s cup racing and soaking up some sun, I was ferried south by the lovely Michelle and Tim to Whanganui. (Home? What even is ‘home’ at this point?)
It was utterly delightful to reconnect with family, friends and colleagues over my weeks and months in Whanganui. Working on the farm, relief teaching and crawling underneath our house installing insulation filled my days, and a whirlwind of social activities filled my evenings and weekends, refueling my extrovert heart and returning some normality to my life.
March 7 the Brookings celebrated their matriarch, my Nana, Betty Brooking. She had reached the milestone of 90 the previous day, and was quietly thrilled by such a fuss being made of her. There were many happy memories shared, and new ones made as well. I have always loved family get-togethers, and this one was particularly special, and the primary reason for my journey back.
Later in March, I visited Jared’s family to celebrate Kate and Scott having a new baby and attend Kate’s baby shower. She was glowing and very pretty in pink, and the lovely Sophie is now here and exuding joy every day.
Easter brought High Tea at the Chateau with a very delightful crew.
The next day Georgina, Helen and I road tripped up to Auckland. That night, who should I see in our hotel lobby, but a friend who I had met at an All Blacks match in a Dublin pub! (She’d gotten stranded in New Zealand as the lockdowns started.) Small world!
From Auckland, we continued East to introduce George to Coromandel. We arrived at Hot Water Beach (probably my favourite place on earth) at sunset on Easter Sunday. There were throngs of people and no spaces left for blissfully basking in Hot Water.
We decided to try again the next morning. We returned just as the sun was rising, and were rewarded with the best spot on the beach, lazily lounging, as others scrambled to find patches of hot water under the sand, the sun smiling smugly down on them.
Come April holidays, I went down to see my cousin Margaret and meet her very beautiful newborn daughter Heidi! I got to see Margaret’s Dunedin, which was delightful, and really enjoyed the Otago countryside, the bird sanctuary Orokonui, and the Dunedin Settlers museum.
Mum met me in Wellington, and I got a tattoo from Basil while I waited for her arrival. It was something I’d been working up to since Peter died, and I’m really pleased that I got it, although I wouldn’t recommend the area next to your heart for one’s first tattoo. I got this because for ages I thought Peter’s email address (franatium) was a chemical symbol. The chemical numbers are his birth month/year and death month/year. Fr is also short for Frater in Latin, meaning brother.
Mum and I shopped til we dropped, and treated ourselves to dinner at a very fancy waterfront establishment to mark… Wednesday. (Every day needs a bit of celebration.)
Before I knew it, I was packing my overflowing bags, and heading to the airport – en route to Sydney. Brendon greeted me at the airport, and we headed north up the coast for the soiree – Clarissa and Karl’s wedding – a very classy affair in the Hunter Valley. A couple of days later, Brendon ditched me to go back across the ditch while the Trans-Tasman bubble was open. In hindsight, definitely the right call.
After a brief, eventful weekend in Canberra, I met Dad, Cherie, and their foster child Bailey in Port Stephens for a mid-week mini-break.
We tried paddleboarding, the biggest burger I’ve ever seen, went dolphin watching, and made friends with the kangaroos on the golf course, after deciding that we weren’t rich enough to take up golfing.
When Brendon returned, we all piled in for a day trip up to the Blue Mountains, and the following day, Dad, Brendon and I concluded my Aussie Adventure with a day out at Cockatoo Island in the Sydney Harbour (you could see the park Jared and I got married in from there!) learning all about the history of the place as a prison then a boat building yard.
I travelled back to Dublin via deserted airports of Hong Kong and London, and safely back into the adoring arms of my beloved.
Jared spent all this time in lockdown, beavering away, working from home at his new job being a sole QS for a residential building company.
05/21-08/21
After a 5-day home quarantine, I was covid-clear according to the Irish government, so I spent May-end of July working as many days as humanly possible. I came up against the archaic system that is ‘July Provision’ – summer school – where teachers are expected to teach for half their summer, in a glorified holiday programme type fashion, and not get paid for it until the end of October. One of the many ways in which Ireland makes me shake my head in wonder.
I did get a pretty cruisy number for July Provision though – I was teaching Science out at Ballydowd Special Care School, and tried to take students on engaging, science-based outings. Options were limited as most things were still closed. Unsurprisingly the zoo was not a hit for teens, but zip lining through the forest was a success.
July Bank Holiday Claire, Jared and I went for a road trip to County Clare, on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. Claire and I went kayaking on Lough Erne, and it was such a tranquil morning. I adored it!
During July, Jared and I both got our vaccines, and also experienced our first Irish wedding! It was complete with a sing along until the wee hours of the morning, and was generally a great time. All the very best to Kellie and Liam!
July also included an adventure with Mark, Robin, and Claire to Tayto Park. This is Ireland’s only amusement park with the largest wooden roller coaster in Europe. We were allowed in the lemur enclosure, and did several circuits, admiring these fuzzy new friends. Jared accompanied Mark and I once on the roller coaster, but that was enough for him. Mark and I however went another several times – it was EPIC!
By August I had secured a full time teaching position for the coming year at a specialist reading school, so before I knuckled down to prep for that, Jared and I embarked on the Great Train Adventure of 2021 – Dublin-Cork-Cobh, pausing for a day trip to the Blarney Castle and the Ring of Kerry (lashing rain the whole day!), then Cork-Limerick-Dublin. I love travelling by train – it’s so easy and relaxing.
I really enjoyed Blarney Castle – I’d heard it was just like any other castle, but that is complete lies. It is much more intact, and generally a lot bigger. The grounds are beautiful, and it is one of the few where you can actually go inside and ascend all the way to the top. We did not kiss the Blarney Stone – Covid – but we did really enjoy ourselves.
I’ve a half drafted blog post that explains more about our time in Cobh and Limerick, but Spike Island is a must, as is the Rebel Walking tour if you’re in Cobh.
We did the Ring of Kerry in one day, and oh my goodness, it was the rainiest day of the year so far. We went to the Kerry cliffs and couldn’t see a thing! So we’re looking for guests to come as an excuse to do the Ring again…
I spent August cycling to beaches, hopping on trains and trying to convince myself to write by being away from all other distractions. (I still took myself with me though…) Day trips took me to Galway, Sligo, and Portlaoise, and the task of editing my book has finally begun.
August was a time when I did a lot of research. Research themes this year have included ADHD and how it presents in adult women, and trying to figure out if it is a) a legitimate thing, b) not just part of the human condition, and c) a problem that is bad enough to warrant a solution. The answers to all three seem to be leaning towards a yes.
Research also included all things to do with weight – BMI, the Obesity myth, fatphobia,and the cultural mythology that we have around diet and exercise solving all of life’s problems. August marked 6 months of a different way of eating, and having lost about 18kgs from this change of lifestyle. It is really the first time I’ve ever been on a ‘diet’ per se, instead of just starving myself, or giving up and binging, so it’s been quite an interesting time to find the middle ground. It does feel like I’m walking on a tightrope a lot of the time, one step away from falling off, but it is slowly becoming the new normal, and I’m giving myself permission to slow down in my choices around food, listen to my body, and treasure this vessel so I can make the most of its innate vitality.
The elusive 20kg mark is only grams away, but is still out of reach for now. Even if I don’t ‘get there’, I still love the energy, clarity, and control I have, now I’m beginning to heal my relationship with food and myself.
09/12-12/21
September heralded in the new school year, and a lot of newness for me. I have the privilege of teaching ten dyslexic ten-year-olds who are fascinating, brilliant humans. It has brought me real joy for the first time in my teaching career. 8 years, and what feels like a million classrooms later, I might’ve found my niche. Unfortunately for me, my position is only temporary, but hopefully something more permanent will come up.
We’ve become quite well acquainted with Portlaoise, as some of our good friends have moved there, and it is a rather lovely part of the world. In October, we went to visit the Rock of Dunamase, and were greeted with a picture perfect scene.
Mid-November, we had planned to go to Brussels to visit a friend who was living there, but our flatmate tested positive for Covid-19 three days before our departure. We were restricted to the apartment for a week, and had to cancel our Brussels trip. Jared had been sick the week prior, and then Luca, his girlfriend and I all got similar symptoms. Despite numerous PCR tests and antigen tests, the rest of us tested negative. We all had a runny nose, sore throat, headache, and generally felt yuck, but after a week were all back to good health.
In other more uplifting news, Jared has recently left his job, and gone out contracting underneath another contractor who’s got more work than he can handle. He has also taken on study to upgrade his diploma in Quantity Surveying to a degree, and hopefully bridge the gap in understanding building policy and design between NZ and Ireland, so it’s going to be very heads-down bums-up around here for the next two years for him.
Last week, Dublin hosted Six60, a Kiwi band from Dunedin. I went with my friend Claire, and also met up with someone else from the Aussies and Kiwis FB group. Turns out I used to go to Intermediate with her, and was best buds with her sister. Very small world.
We finished the year with a delightful jaunt through a rather frozen Scottish countryside, spending Christmas with Kevin and his fam. I tried Haggis and I approve wholeheartedly! Also recommend the Chocolate factory tour just off the Royal Mile.
I’ve learned this year is that many miles or years will not break friendships that are worth keeping, and I am so so thankful to have so many who bless my life simply by being in it.
Hope you have an amazing Christmas and a terrific New Year. Enjoy the sun on our behalf – it is currently 5 degrees and Storm Barra is blasting through the less-sealed edges of the windows.
May beauty, wisdom and joy be yours in 2022. Arohanui, Lauren and Jared Bradley.
Bonus Pictures I couldn’t shoe horn into my story:
