ENJOY THE MOMENT

CARPE DIEM

Seize the day

We spend so much of our time thinking about the past and perhaps hoping that the remembered good times will come again, or perhaps regretting some of our decisions and wishing we had acted differently. We can also spend so much time planning for the future that we find we are wishing our lives away, rather than appreciating and enjoying the present. Of course it’s important to learn from the past and also to plan for the future, but it’s imperative too to live in the moment, savouring all of life’s wonderful experiences, and being thankful every day for our loved ones who care about us.

I think the serenity prayer puts life into perspective. It’s worth taking a moment to reflect on it.

“So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time. ”
— Matthew 6.14 Living Bible

Being more present in life allows us to achieve more, and never take time or life for granted. It enables us to live a healthy, happy and fulfilled life.

The Chapel, Orgill, Vidlin

Once Paul had decided to settle down in Australia we visited him and his partner Aly several times. We had some amazing trips and saw quite a bit of Western Australia. One place in particular we loved was Monkey Mia - still one of my most favourite places.

Feeding the dolphins in Monkey Mia

Another place we loved was Kalbarri where a huge pelican would arrive on the beach every day to be fed.

Kalbarri

A huge pelican would arrive on the beach every morning for a feed of fish, much to the onlookers’ entertainment.

Then an absolute highlight and something I’ve always wanted to do was when Paul treated us to a hot air balloon experience followed by a champagne breakfast.

Our hot air balloon experience

Paul’s family grew with the addition of two gorgeous boys, Mitchell and then Fletcher two years later. I’ve included some photos of our visits below. We loved spending time with the boys.

Ten pin bowling

Monty and Paul always fitted in a game of ten pin bowling. They were very competitive!

And then in summer 2023 Paul and the boys made it to Da Rock for a holiday! That was very special as we were all together as a family, joined by Mark and his kids too. We even had a visit from Wendy and David Bourne, Mitchell and Fletcher’s Australian grandparents, which was a real treat.