In the beginning ...

As we sped away from my old hometown of Caistor, I remember being swamped by a multitude of feelings - some surprising, others - not so much. There was an inherent sense of freedom in the step we had decided to take, yet this was balanced with that leap of faith which is accompanied by an almost overwhelming sense of anxiety. So many people talk about moving abroad, usually after a particularly miserable summer or a fantastic holiday, but then, as the months pass by, the idea becomes a faded memory, much like the postcard tacked to a bulletin board, smiled at occassionally, but largely forgotten.
Life in the UK was good to us, we were (and still are) blessed with wonderful family close by and friends on the doorstep. Yet pressure of work and various other stressful factors led us to reassess what is (and should be) important. We were both working crazy hours, committed as we were to our respective jobs, yet struggling to find time for each other and those precious moments spent as a family. Something had to give. Unforeseen circumstances led us to make the decision we had been skirting around ever since Giles decided to build Coco Shambhala in partnership with his father - to move to Goa so that Giles could manage the business he believed so passionately in.
Before I knew it, we were packed into a car, surrounded by suitcases, leaving our old lives behind ... There is, as with all stories, much more to tell, but this the start, so get yourselves comfortable and tomorrow, I'll follow up with part two ...