Loving Queensland!
Towards the end of 2017, Christine Simmons, then 72, came up with a drastic plan. She decided to say goodbye to life as she knew it and go travelling around the world.
‘I suppose the idea for a “grown-up gap year” had been brewing for a long time,’ Christine says.
‘My husband Tony passed away in 1995. He was only 62, and it was quite a shock.’
Down Under with Duke
Christine set about building a new life for herself, relocating to the Isle of Wight.
Exploring Shropshire’s winter wonders
‘I’ve always loved the great outdoors. Being just a few steps from the beach was just so perfect.’
It was a long way from her family – her three children, Karen, Alice and Peter, who lived in Shropshire, Australia and Taiwan respectively – yet, slowly but surely, Christine settled into her new life.
‘It was the best decision I could have ever made’
‘I joined the local church and a ladies’ choir – and before I knew it, I’d made lots of friends,’ she says.
Getting back in the saddle again
But then, in 2007, Christine was struck down with a perforated bowel. Complications followed, meaning it took Christine a long time to get back on her feet.
‘Over several years, I came to the realisation that I’d been gifted with extra time, and I still had a lot of living left to do.’
That’s when Christine’s ‘gap year’ idea really started to take shape.
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