Happy days....

My birthday celebrations went well.

After the mixed emotions of the actual day and the combined high of Fete de la Musique, getting the keys to my new flat and the summer solstice on the 21st, I was on the way to being wrecked before the weekend celebrations even started.

In the end, 21 of us headed up to the gorges for some camping fun. Perfect weather, perfect food and company, the ubiquitous rosé and a very chilled vibe all round provided the most idyllic weekend I could have hoped for. In short, it couldn't have been better.

I had snippets of that feeling that I haven't had for a while and certainly don't get as often as I used to, that feeling of happiness, contentment and that this is what life is all about.

Despite struggling with some cultural aspects and frustrations that I get from living in a country other than my own, I felt on several occasions that this is why I choose to live here. It felt worthwhile.

After a horrible year last year where pretty much every aspect of my life went completely tits up at one point or another, I feel I have come a long way since then, run marathons in fact.

I feel positive and settled for the first time in a long time. I feel that I have achieved a lot in the last year, more than I hoped to by now.
I have some new goals now and one project on hold but things are looking good.

I'm not sure if 30 is supposed to be a pivotal point in your life or not but I know it was for a lot of my friends and some big changes were made.
Despite a wobble during a couple of weeks in the run up to the big 3-0, I don't think I could have handled it better.

It is the same as 29 really, it just rolls off the tongue a little easier, a nice round number to boot.
For me it is the summit of the hill that was my twenties. It rounds them off.

There will be equally trying times to come but I can only hope that wisdom and experience will facilitate them for me.....at least somewhat.

I hope that I have learnt from my mistakes and that I will make different ones - not that I hope to make any of course...

As they say about wine and art; many things getter better, more desirable and valuable with age. I will be very much applying this to myself.