A (nother) New Start
A lot has happened over the past year, or rather, a lot has happened over the past few years, which led to a big decision in 2024. Which, in turn, caused a great deal of change. If that sounds complicated, it is, because it has been.
I have left Switzerland, my home of the last 30 years, and moved to the southern coast of Wales. It took nearly a year of planning and what felt like an eternity of filling out forms to get this far, but I am now in Pembrokeshire with my partner. I’m still filling out forms, but it is gradually calming down, and I’m finding my way to a normal routine.
So, what’s next? What does the future hold?
I’ve been visiting this area for more than 10 years, but even so, my first step is still to explore the area. The time that I have spent here has always been restricted to a couple of weeks at a time. I don’t know this place as I did Waldenburg, and I need to spend time experiencing the environment. I know the hills and the forests of Waldenburg well, I know how the seasonal weather affects these areas and where I should be at what time of year. I’m starting fresh here. I need to find new locations and return to these regularly to experience them as the seasons change, and then there is the added complication of the tides.
My next step will be to start planning and developing new ideas for projects and directions to move in.
From what I’ve experienced so far, there is one big difference that I will enjoy: there is a lot more wildlife here.
It is not necessarily that there are more species, it’s the abundance. It just feels like there is more wildlife. When I walk through a forest, I can hear many different species of birds singing. In Waldenburg, I was overjoyed at the sound of a single bird.
I see large flocks of hundreds of crows flying over the cliffs in the mornings, whereas in the forests around Waldenburg, I rarely see more than 3-4 together.
And of course there are creatures here that I couldn’t find in Switzerland
I look forward to what is to come.
