counting sleeps

right then, by my careful calculations it's a mere 33 sleeps til we take off for Italy. 

33! 

In honour of this I've decided to start my new blog - Italy 2014 - and also started re-reading previous ones (May 2012 and Spain).  The titles are so evocative...

It's all very uplifting and helped me realise I'm really cut out to be a traveller (not a gypsy) - I suppose I mean a tourist.  Yes, people, my vocation is vacation.

Am getting in the spirit by staying at a Napier B and B while up here for work.  Compulsory chit chat with hosts and other guest (singular).  Weirdly she is over from Canada to explore restorative practices.  We were able to educate our startled host about all this over a glass of wine earlier this evening. I guarantee it's not her usual line of conversation.

Before arriving in Napier on her tour round the NI my fellow guest was at a conference in Whanganui.  Apparently Whanganui hopes to be NZ's first restorative town - all of which meant that Jocelyn (the Canadian) and her fellow conference-goers workshopped the guts out of the function and significance of the letter 'H' - ain't life spooky?

Anyway, it's late - I should be sleeping, but instead I'm reminiscing about past trips and plotting and scheming about the next one - and also trying to ignore the birds crashing about in the roof, or gutters, or some such.  Shouldn't they be asleep too?