PAUSE..AND RESET

An unexpected turn of events sees Marcus, Kim and the children returning to the UK and making a brief detour to Belgium and the Netherlands, before heading south

Expect the unexpected! At the time, cycling past the little sign in Scotland that offered this sage advice, back in 2020, I must admit that I didn’t give it too much thought. Until about 30 seconds later, when a stag jumped out from the undergrowth and darted across the road a few metres in front of me, causing me to swerve in a wild panic and almost end up on the ground.

Ever since then, though, I have been rather more alert to life’s unexpected moments.

And while most, if not all, of the unexpected moments we’ve encountered thus far on the Big European Odyssey have been positive and happy, we were sensible enough to know that such a trip could, at some stage, throw up occasions that would prove altogether more challenging.

Changing direction 

And so it was in Spain, where an unfortunate involvement in a road accident (fortunately neither us nor the motorhome were harmed) conspired to change our plans quite dramatically.

No longer were we heading south for the sunny climes of Morocco, but instead, going north in time for a Eurotunnel crossing that would mark a temporary, unplanned return to the UK.

Much as we would have preferred to be on our way south, there were more pressing matters to deal with, the most important being my mental health issues, which had resurfaced as a result of the accident. We decided that such concerns would be best dealt with at home.

Life has taught me a lot over the years, but one of the most important lessons has been that it’s not what happens to us, but how we view it, that actually matters the most.