We moved to Bristol on December 31st, our 27th wedding anniversary. 

So we have been here for about a month now, which is not really that long, but we have unpacked our stuff and we’ve purchased some second hand furniture. Our house feels less like a sparsely furnished airbnb and each day it seems more like a place where we actually live.

There’s a very small grocery store about a quarter of a mile from us and it doesn’t have everything you need, but you can get quite a lot there. Still, in order to avoid having to carry everything home, I’ve figured out how to order groceries to be delivered.  

I have also found two other services about which I’m really excited. One of them is that I have a box of fresh fruits and vegetables coming every week. It comes overnight on Thursday nights. And I don’t know necessarily what’s going to be in it. Actually there’s a website where I can go and look at what is coming, but a lot of times I don’t and I just open it up and see what’s in it and then figure out what to cook. Which I think is fun. So it’s produce that would normally go to waste because it’s shaped a little funny  or not perfect or just there’s a surplus of supply. I think we have similar services in the United States but I’ve never never used one before.

And then, on Thursday morning I have fresh milk, eggs, cream, cheese and yogurt delivered. The milk comes in glass bottles which sort of feels like from another time. So Thursday morning and Friday morning are a bit like Christmas to me. Opening up the door to treasures sitting right there that have been delivered overnight that are fresh to use. 

I’ve also found a bakery that has maybe the best almond croissant I’ve ever tasted. It’s just about a mile from my house, maybe a little less, and they also have sausage rolls and pastries with steak and things in them, so I can always talk Simon into walking to that bakery with me because he’ll get a savory something and I’ll get the almond croissant.

So yeah, I guess you could say that we have figured out food.  

And drinks of course, we’re enjoying pub culture again. I wrote to someone recently to tell them that I had forgotten that one of my favorite things about living in Scotland was meeting friends at the pub and then walking home at night afterwards with Taido. It is a small pleasure but there is something lovely about getting to walk home together after sitting and chatting and having a drink. Those are just really sweet memories, so it’s kind of fun to feel like I’m returning to them again.

In general, I am loving the return to walking culture. Of course, if you’re a long time reader, you know that I love walking, so being back where it’s a part of daily, normal life is exciting and fun for me. Everywhere you go, you walk. I think I logged about seven miles yesterday walking to second hand furniture shops and picking up a few extra things for dinner.

Trying to go to a lot of places in town would be such a stressful trip in the car, because the roads are really small, and often there’s no place to park. You have to parallel and pay to park everywhere. So, there are a lot of times that  even if you wanted to drive, it just makes more sense to walk. I like that walking is not just something that I go do, but it’s this daily part of life–walk to the store, walk to the shops, walk to the bakery.

Simon’s also walking to school, which is just under a couple of miles away. He actually walks with the child of one of Taido’s colleagues who is his age and lives just around the corner. Lots of other folks join them on the way there, so by the time they get to school,  everybody’s kind of pouring in from all directions. I remember when the big kids walked to and home from school in Scotland, and it was like they had taken a breath and processed their day before they got home. Like all kids, when they come home, they just want to get something to eat, get on the computer, and kind of check out. As a mom, somehow this feels more okay to me after they’ve just walked for two miles.

We’ve also been going to church every Sunday, which we hardly did during the pandemic. So that feels new in more ways than one. We’re going to a church that is about a quarter of a mile away from us. (It’s not the one pictured above…that’s a church in the city center called St Mary’s Redcliffe, from the 12th century.)

We’ve also been meeting a lot of Taido’s colleagues and their families. He’s working an Trinity College (pictured above), which is an Anglican college. He seems to have such a sweet group of folks that he works with. They have worked to form a community here. They have chapel every morning, and all the students and staff have lunch together every day, which I am able to join if I want.

So I’ve been going up about once a week and having lunch, which has been a fun way to meet some of the teachers and students. 

Besides buying groceries and setting up our house, I’ve been getting ready for all my upcoming trips. Lots of walks are planned for spring and summer, so to prepare, I am heading out on a long walk around the city about three times a week.

I am visiting Bristol over and over from different directions and kind of getting to know it by walking, which of course is my favorite way to get to know a place.  I just walk out my front door. One day this week it was absolutely gorgeous out, so I just kept going and going. By the end of the day, I had walked over 15 miles.

I walked along the River Avon. I found a bicycle path that I want to return to with a bike. 

I walked around the Bristol harbor (harbour).

Bristol used to be a major port city.

Now the harbor is lined with outdoor pubs, shops and museums. It seems like a place we will often return to, especially in the summer.

Already I have a whole list of things that I’m excited about doing with folks.

Ben will be here in March and I’m sure I’ll overwhelm him with all the different walks and things I want to do in Bristol – places I want to go to have tea, places I want to go and have a drink, spots I want to go eat… I’ve got a whole pile of things.

So if you decide to come and visit, bring your tennis shoes and get ready, because we’ve got a lot of places to go.

So that’s about it as far as our first month here. I’m sure I’ll have more as the weeks progress.

But I think we are starting to feel at home. 

Here’s how I know. 

Last night, after spending an afternoon wandering through the city and going to second-hand furniture shops together. Taido and I were walking back to the house. We stopped off at a pub called The Shakespeare, which was lovely, but then we were wandering home from there and we reached this giant park which is near our house. 

You actually go up a hill from our house to get to it, and then the park is a big flat green space called The Downs. After you cross The Downs, you walk down a big hill into the city.

So you have to walk through this big, beautiful park no matter where you’re going into town, and then again when you’re walking back to our house. If you’re headed home from town, when you reach The Downs, you know that you’ve got like three quarters of a mile left and that it will be downhill the rest of the way.

Sometimes we walk up to The Downs and just circle the park for a walk. Sometimes I put on wellies and march right through it. (It’s often muddy.) I’ve already seen it in all kinds of weather.

Bright sunshine, drizzles of rain, a total fog cover and most often, just sort of gray.

So yesterday evening when we reached the edge of The Downs after climbing the hill from the city, I thought, Oh, there, we’re almost home. And just in that moment, I caught myself saying home, and I thought, Yes, I am starting to feel like this is going to be our home.

The post Snapshots of Bristol appeared first on Alison Chino.

We have been in our new home in Tübingen, Germany for over a month now.

And I have to say that I have struggled to put together this first post from Germany, because I want to strike a balance between the two extremes of HELLO GORGEOUS PHOTOS OF OUR NEW HOME TOWN and HEY WE MOVED TO ANOTHER NEW COUNTRY AND IT IS HARD.

I think we all know that reality is usually different from how things look.

Even when they look super cute. Which they do.

In reality, Tübingen is one of the cutest places I have ever seen. If I was a visitor here, I would probably wish I could live here.

Tübingen is a university town in Southern Germany of 85,000 people, but if feels more like a big village. A big lovely village.

But in reality, our boys would be quick to tell you that they don’t find it lovely.

In my first few days here, Ben and I walked to the top of a hill in the center of the town and looked out over the rooftops.

Looking super far out into the distance you can see a high rise at the top of a hill, and we are living in some temporary housing right next to that high rise. (In a couple of weeks we are moving to a flat in the same neighborhood.)

It’s about a 30 minute bus ride to the center of town. Or a 45 minute walk.

It’s a bit longer than that to the south side of town where the boys are going to school.

The reality is that we spend a lot of time at bus stops or on buses.

People leave books that they have finished at bus stops, which is super fun.

I bet it is even more fun if you can read German.

The reality is that because we live at the edge of town, we can be in the woods in about five minutes.

And in the woods there are trees with books inside of them that you can take for free. And that is super cute.

Of course the books are all in German.

The reality is that school is hard and learning a language is very, very slow and you mess up and feel stupid a lot. But also on every corner there is a place to buy a scoop of gelato for about a dollar.

The reality is that we eat a lot of gelato.

This is really and truly the center of the town where we live. People sit on the edge of the river and eat lunch on pretty days.

There are these long boats called punts that people ride up and down the river.

And it is pretty dang picturesque.

And next to the river is a long island lined with old trees. It is a gorgeous spot to walk or take a picnic or a book.

In the old town are two different squares. One is where the church is and the steps next to the church serve as sort of a constant gathering space. We meet up there often to grab something to eat from one of the stalls or shops in town.

On every corner there is a bakery where you can get a pretzel or a loaf of bread for dinner.

Or a coffee. So much coffee.

Heading to town after school for a treat is a super regular occurrence.

Or sometimes I just bring pretzels from the bakery straight to the bench where Simon and I meet after school.

The treats are many in this town. And I keep finding new ones.

Food is definitely a theme of our new life in Germany.

The reality is that I love shopping for fresh fruit and vegetables at the many markets that happen around town.

I got a basket to fit in with all the other mamas and papas doing their daily shopping for dinner.

What I can fit in this basket is about what I can carry. And also what will fit into my fridge.

So daily shopping it is, at many different shops and stalls.

Including a frequent stop at the farm up by our flat where you can fill your glass bottles with fresh milk or buy cheese and eggs out of a vending machine when the farm shop isn’t open. I. Kid. You. Not.

Also sometimes we just grab an apple off the tree while walking.

We didn’t have any bowls or coffee mugs at our current apartment so I spent my birthday money carefully selecting a few pieces of locally made pottery at one of the weekend markets in town.

Serving meals on these dishes and drinking coffee and tea out of these mugs makes me smile every day. Small, simple beauties are powerful.

On Sundays we’ve been attending a little international church that meets in a room underneath a grocery store. The service is in German, and while I sit there for two hours listening and not listening, tuning in and tuning out, I get a little window into what school must be like for our boys.

But there are notes/handouts in English and also my Bible is in English, and the pastor’s wife serves lunch after church every week so you can stick around and visit with people.

It’s not home to me yet but there have been moments.

Glimpses of what heaven will be like when I sit at a table and share food and conversation with people from all over the world. Last week, Simon and I sat with new friends from India, China, Taiwan, Nigeria and Mauritius.

This town is HECKA international.

And when you walk across the main bridge in town, you can imagine why people might be drawn to come and spend a season here, but really the university is attracting the world because of a little detail called Free Tuition For Everyone In Germany.

Like for reals. At least three of the people I met last week came here for a few months to study German so they could apply to go to university here. You just need the first couple of levels of German to get in, and there are classes everywhere you can enroll in for a summer or a few weeks at any time of year.

I am starting my language classes next week, but not so I can go to university.

I’m just hoping to be able to tell the lady at the bakery and the man at my vegetable market to have a nice day.

Three or four times a week I walk through this park on my way to meet Simon at school because he and Ben don’t always get out at the same time.

I also walk down this long stairway.

And past this building covered in graffiti. There’s actually loads of street art in Tubingen.

These are the stairs to the office where Taido studies and writes, and they also lead to the room where his classes are. The reality is that Taido loves it here.

We had our first visitor last week. Major highlight for sure!

Nicola was so kind to come and visit before we really know what we are doing as far as traveling around Germany. As a result we spent a lot of time waiting for trains and buses, but she was such a great sport!

She also climbed to the top of the main cathedral tower with me, which the boys haven’t wanted to do.

After we looked out over the rooftops and took in the surrounding hills,

we found a table in the square below where we had coffee and sat and watched the people. It’s turning cold, but there are blankets draped on the chairs in the squares so you can still sit outside and chat with your friend over coffee.

We also made a trip to the nearby Ritter Sport chocolate factory.

Hello every kind of chocolate imaginable.

Our biggest outing with Nicola was a hike to a nearby castle.

Fall is definitely in the air here in Germany, and Nicola and I were very cold, but flowers were still in bloom in the windows and it was so nice to have my friend with me in our new home. Also she speaks German.

This week the leaves have turned bright yellow all over town, and we got a few more days of blue sky.

We did a walk to a chapel on a hill last weekend in the sunshine.

The trails around Tübingen seem to be super well maintained and they lead to lovely places.

This little village is called Bebenhausen and I walk the five mile loop there and back a few times a week because it’s my favorite so far.

So that’s pretty much our first month: lots of walking and meeting up with the boys and praying for them while they are at school.

Plus searching for a new place to live and filling out eleventy million forms and fumbling through German, shopping for Brot, Wein und Kase (bread, wine and cheese).

There is a chocolate festival here on the first weekend of December so more friends are coming from Aberdeen, because hello CHOCOLATE + FESTIVAL = good idea.

And then the Christmas Market happens in Tübingen the next weekend.

So the reality is that there are good things in store for us.

I’m hoping maybe one of those things is that the boys start to like it here as much as Taido does.

Want to keep up with all of my travels? Maybe you’d like to subscribe to future posts by email or receive my occasional email newsletter.

The post Snapshots from Tübingen: Our First Month in Germany in Photos appeared first on Alison Chino.

Some of my favorite stills to snap photos of in our expat life involve tea.

Cups of tea.

Teapots.

Sometimes flowers.

And lots of times, books.

We have adopted tea time in Scotland, and it does make the cold climate more bearable to keep a hot drink in your hand as often as possible.

Here’s a fun collection of some of my tea snaps from the last year or so.

How do you like your tea?

I like mine with milk and lots of treats!

My mom arrives this week and we’ll be having lots of cups of tea for sure!

Happy Monday!

The post Snapshots of Tea appeared first on Alison Chino.

One of the starkest changes that moving to Scotland has brought to my life involves the way I do grocery shopping.

I used to make a couple of trips to the store per week in addition to one large shopping trip to my neighborhood Sam’s club.

With my current kitchen and appliance sizes, buying in bulk is really not an option.

We have a large supermarket within a stone’s throw of our house, so I have been walking to the store almost daily for groceries.

I still plan my meals out about a week in advance, but I just pick up what I need each day.

One or two days’ groceries is about all I can carry.

Sometimes I push it and buy three days of groceries, but I’m always a bit sorry on the journey back home.

On weeks where I have lots of work to do from home, my daily trip to the store can often be my only outing so I vary it up by adding on a mile here and there. There’s a path through a forest along the River Don that I love in every season. These are late November shots.

A rare bit of sunshine on the path. This is high noon on an Aberdeen autumn day.

There are no leaves left on these trees now, but I still go this way many times each week to get to the store. To collect a bag of apples, a bag of oranges, a little milk, a loaf of bread, some pasta or some courgettes (zucchini).

I look for what’s on sale or what’s in season to use for tonight’s soup. Butternut squash for roasting or potatoes to serve with chili. Lately a box of mince pies or a bottle of mulled wine often find their way into my shopping bag.

There are many small treasures of this simple daily routine: the crunch of the leaves under my feet, the sounds of a new walking playlist in my ears and the latest offerings of my local market.

Because we always need to eat (and we eat a lot at the Chino House) I find myself walking to the store at all different times of the day and in all manner of weather.

I often wonder if I will try to keep up this habit at the end of our time in Scotland, but I have a hunch that this is a routine for this season in my life, in which case, I think I will try to appreciate it all the more.

The post A Walk to the Store (47/48) appeared first on Alison Chino.

In celebration of the fact that we have now been in Scotland for one year, here’ s a quick look back at the last twelve months of life at the Chino House.

August

We moved to Scotland.

September

My mom came and we discovered some castles and made a trip to Edinburgh.

Oh, and Taido and I went camping.

October

I went to Dublin for TBEX and got to experience another, wilder side of Ireland.

Then we all went to the Lake District and fell head over heels just like Wordsworth.

November

We discovered Glen Tanar on one of our many walking quests.

Mary Polly and I had a getaway weekend in Edinburgh where we saw the Christmas Market and took a side trip to Glencoe and Loch Ness.

Also, I made my first trip to London for World Travel Market.

December

In December I decided to finally declare myself a writer and I wrote 12 Days of Stories.

Even better, my parents came to visit.

January

I started #48walks, which made us get outside, even in winter.

I took Ben and Simon to Edinburgh to see The Lion King.

And I went to London for one night to attend a dinner for Out of Office Bloggers.

February

I am not going to lie. I was really down in February, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other. I kept walking and telling stories. Also, we moved from our tiny flat to a house.

(Let’s go ahead and draw straws to see who’s going to visit me next February so as to avoid the sinking to the dark places, ok?)

March

We went for more walks, along the coast and in the shire.

We had our first non-family visitor.

And we continued waiting patiently for spring.

April

The kids had two weeks off from school in April. For the first week we along with Taido to Durham, England, where he was speaking at his first academic conference. We also explored North Yorkshire a bit.

Then my mother-in-law flew us all to Ireland for a week. We walked and walked. And it was all green and sunshine and wonderful grace.

May

My sister came and walked St Cuthbert’s Way with me.

Simon and I went to Mauritius.

June

Mary Polly and I went to see One Direction in Edinburgh.

My friends, Kristie and Jermaine came to visit.

Taido went to Kenya.

My friend, Sarabeth and her daughter, Elizabeth came to visit.

Mary Polly and I went with them to Paris.

July

My brother and sister-in-law (Peter and Whitney) + nephews came to visit! We had an incredible week in Scotland and then we went to London, Paris and Switzerland. (#CousinsTakeEurope)

After they went home, we stayed in Switzerland for three more weeks. It was bliss.

August

We made a long journey home through the EuroTunnel. We dropped Ben and Taido off at the airport in London so that they could head to Norway for Ben’s 13th. The rest of us took our time road tripping up the M6, with stops at BlogStock and the Lake District.

What a whirlwind!

When I look back over the year, I really cannot believe all that we have gotten to do and see. And on a tight budget to boot. My travel writing has opened up new worlds, literally and figuratively. I am ridiculously thankful.

I am hopeful that the next year will continue to bring all kinds of new adventures.

We already have a few up our sleeves.

I am going back to Arkansas next month to speak at Arkansas Women Bloggers University, which I am super excited about. Then when I come back to Aberdeen, I’ll have about a week before I hit the trail again with my friend, Diane and Macs Adventure. This time my family is going to come and hike with us for a couple of days in the middle of the Coast to Coast Walk. Before it’s over, we will walk the entire width of England and will log almost 200 miles. (In fact, considering my tendency to get lost, I feel fairly certain that we will pass the 200 mile mark before our two weeks is over.)

Then in October I will go back to TBEX, this time in Athens and with my friend Sarabeth who is speaking. November will be quiet, so hopefully I will finish the book I am writing. And in December we will all fly home for Christmas.

In 2015, a world of possibility and wonder awaits! I am going to keep walking in 2015, but I’m inviting you to come along with me. And not just on the internet but also in real life! (Subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to hear news about walking with me.)

Thank you so much for following along and walking with me this year. Every time you post a picture with #48walks or leave a comment or send me an email, it makes my day.

Here’s to another year of walking.  Into the dark, into the light and into the unknown.

The post A Year of Memories appeared first on Alison Chino.

Summer 2013

Summer 2014

When we told people that we were moving to Scotland, for the most part the responses fell into two general categories.

1. That sounds crazy!

2. That sounds dreamy!

And you know what, both of these descriptions are spot on.

Moving abroad is crazy AND it’s a dream come true. At the same time.

Like many life experiences, living in a new country is hard and amazing.

My life strategy of trying to find the beauty in the world has helped me (for the most part) to look on the bright side of our first year abroad as a family, but I would be lying if I never mentioned that there are some really hard things about facing two more years here in Aberdeen. I really try to stay away from negativity in general, and especially on this blog because it is my “happy place,” but I want to try to strike a balance of remembering our first year in Aberdeen as it truly was.

So as I look back on our first year, I want to share how God has richly blessed us with new experiences and places to live and dear friends. When I think about all that we have gotten to see, I am just dumbstruck with wonder. But before I post the “LOOK AT EVERYTHING WE GOT TO DO IN ONE YEAR” list, I thought I would list some of the things that have been hard about moving abroad, and more specifically, to Aberdeen.

Hard Stuff about Moving Abroad:

1. Schools

You know how people say that children are resilient and flexible and they will benefit from being thrown into new situations and new cultures. Yep, that stuff is totally true. But the part that we might not mention is that making those adjustments to new schools, systems and cultures is really hard.

Without divulging too much of their personal journeys, I will just say that each one of my kids faced some serious challenges in our local Scottish schools. Collectively, between the four of them, they were bullied and cyber-bullied, were hit and kicked, failed courses, felt completely alone, skipped lunch to hide in the library and missed opportunities because of cultural and even language barriers.

I don’t want to make them sound like victims. It’s just that it has taken us our entire first year to figure some things out about the way the systems work. They also (again collectively) made friends from all over the world, learned the history of a new country and continent, earned awards for being top students, learned new languages and new sports and (I think maybe) have a new appreciation for each other.

I’m incredibly proud of all four of them and I believe that this move has been good for them. But there is a little place inside of my heart that twinges and makes me tear up when I think of all we’ve put them through in the last year. And as they reluctantly head back to school this week, I hope desperately that this year will be brighter.

2. Money

I have mentioned once or twice that it is quite expensive to live in the UK, even more so in Aberdeen. We have watched the dollar decline slowly in value all year. Filling up our gas (petrol) tank costs us roughly $200. A trip to the grocery store for about a week is around $300. A return bus ticket in Aberdeen is $5 and for the six of us to eat out at a casual restaurant is between $80-$100.  We try not to eat out and we eat a lot of lentils and rice.

Still, when we gasp at how much things cost, we have to acknowledge in the same breath that we have had everything we need. And more. We have a place to live and a van that holds all six of us. We have food to eat plus we have Europe on our doorstep.

Every month is a new journey of faith in figuring out how we are going to make it all work, and in fact, most of the time it does not look like it is going to work at all, but we have been provided for all year long. I keep reminding myself of this staggering truth as September and a new round of tuition payments looms around the corner.

3. Family and Friends

Before coming to Scotland, we lived for over ten years in Arkansas in a close community of family and friends. We were so loved. And we loved so much. Those kinds of relationships and circles of people who love you and who even love your kids do not come easy.

We have the beginnings of what I believe will be life long relationships here in Scotland for which I am truly thankful, and we’ve also been blessed with the visits of many dearly loved ones. I’m encouraged by both and relieved that as we start year two here in Aberdeen, that we are in a place of nurturing friendships already made instead of starting all over relationally like we did a year ago. We’re also super encouraged by the fact that we’re going home for Christmas this year!

4. Weather

Ok, now I’m just being petty. I know, I know. I might as well list not having a dryer or Tiny Oven as hardships as well. Or not having access to corn tortillas and real Mexican food. (The Struggle!) But sometimes it’s the little things that are the hardest. I feel a heaviness in my heart when I start to think about what time the sun is going to set in November. It’s almost like I’m dreading it more because I know it’s coming.

But the knowledge of how very dark it is in the winter in Aberdeen has made me so grateful for summer’s light. I have spent every possible minute outside that I could.

And as the rain falls even as I type this, I am thankful that I have learned the art of getting outside regardless of the weather and that I have acquired some waterproof pants.

I’m also thankful that I have learned how to fix lentils about twenty different ways and I am undaunted by another winter of beans and rice.

However, I’m not sure I can go another year without a dryer.

Still, it is strange how when I look back and think about the darker parts of the last year, I truly am grateful for them. Because probably even more than the sunny holidays, they are the ways in which I have seen God. He has shown us again and again that we are not alone.

We are not abandoned to aimlessly wander a new place, but rather to wonder at how He leads us along every step of the way on this crazy + dreamy journey!

The post Reflections on Moving Abroad: The Hard Stuff appeared first on Alison Chino.

A (Short) Story about Spring

When she came through the door, she handed me a small wooden charm.

It was a colorful shamrock shape, tied with red and white striped string.

“We wear these in my country when we are waiting for spring to come.”

“What a lovely tradition!” I said, as I took it from her hands.

After the party I pinned my charm to my coat as a sweet reminder of the couple I had just met from Romania.

Later I looked up the tradition of these small charms and found this description:

The Martisor, a spring token, a tiny adornment tied with a red and white entwined cord presented on March 1,  celebrates the arrival of spring. It is believed to bring joy.

To Bring Joy.

Friends, I am all about traditions that bring joy.

Each day, when I put on my coat and walk out into the blistery March winds, I smile when I see The Martisor. My spring token from a new friend.

What do you do to celebrate spring?

The post A (Short) Story about Spring appeared first on Alison Chino.

Y’all, we have been in Scotland for six months now! How did that happen so fast?

To celebrate, I thought I would list my five favorite days out in beautiful Scotland! We’ve had some good ones for sure!

Dunnottar Castle

Highland Getaway

North Sea Walk

Castle Fraser

Bennachie

More Links!

My brother-in-law sent me this walking themed commercial that was filmed not too far away from here. In Perthshire. Super fun. Thanks Bob.

A Walk on the Beach with Kate

A Snowy Walk from Jeanetta

A Story about A Breast Pump

A Story about Education Hacking

A Story about Being Wrongly Jailed in San Francisco

Also, Mary Polly handed me The Fault in Our Stars to read this week, and I know I am a little late to the game but OH MY GOODNESS, LOVE LOVE LOVED it.

Ditto Anne Lamott’s Stitches which has been a huge gift to me while reading it. I remember last year when Help Thanks Wow came out that I did not buy it because it was so small. Then Taido gave it to me for Valentine’s Day and I proceeded to read it in one sitting and then I flipped back to the beginning and read it all over again. She packed a lot of goodness in that one little volume, and my experience with Stitches was just the same. Perfect timing.

The kids are out of school from Friday to Tuesday so I feel a little behind on everything! Hope your weekend has been lovely and full of LOVE!

The post In The Pipeline: First Six Months In Scotland appeared first on Alison Chino.

A Story about Trash

In my unwavering attempts to look on the bright side, I may have neglected to present my new hometown of Aberdeen in the most accurate of lights. However, I think it is a case of selective omission rather than blatant lying to show you pictures of sand, sea and granite instead of the uglier sides of the city. But now that some of my dear friends have actually purchased airline tickets to come and visit me in Aberdeen, I feel it could be important to mention that there might be a bit of a garbage problem in my fair city. I have struggled in vain to find a graceful way to include this detail in descriptions of the city, but then I happened upon this wonderful description from Bill Bryson upon his arrival in Liverpool, which I read aloud to my family because he could be talking about Aberdeen:

I took a train to Liverpool. They were having a festival of litter when I arrived. Citizens had taken time off from their busy activities to add crisp packets, empty cigarette boxes, and carrier-bags to the otherwise bland and neglected landscape. They fluttered gaily in the bushes and brought color and texture to pavements and gutters. And to think that elsewhere we stick these objects in rubbish bags.

While I know that Bryson is (quite successfully) being funny, after reading these words, I began to wonder if there was any way to actually find beauty in the refuse strewn about on the sidewalks and in the grass. Could a Festival of Trash actually exist?

The short, honest answer is no. Because trash is ugly.

I would be lying if I did not say that almost from our first moments here back in August, I was overwhelmed by how much trash is on the ground in Aberdeen. And we are not even going to discuss the issue of picking up after dogs or vomit piles, mainly because I need to keep pretending those things are not there.

But I have started to pay closer attention to the bottles and cigarette packets instead of trying so hard to look away. I have been looking for the stories in the trash.

Every day I pass a park on my way to and from Simon’s school, and there is a particular brand of vodka bottle that is repeatedly tossed there. One day I counted five different bottles of Glen’s Vodka from the beginning to the end of the park.

Over the last few weeks, I have been counting bottles and forming in my mind a picture of the drinker of these empties.

Now I find that I am always looking for one more empty bottle of Glen’s Vodka. In my mind, I see a man walking to this park every night from the convenience store and sitting on the rock wall drowning his sorrows in cheap booze.

Or maybe he pulls up in his car and just chucks the bottle out the window in the grass.

Every day I invent a new story about what the world looks like that he is trying to escape.

He got in a fight with his wife.

He lost his job.

His child is sick.

He can’t shake his bad memories.

Every day, his heart is newly broken by some invention of my imagination.

Some days I just see the red metal lid on the sidewalk, and I impart a bit of my own sorrow onto the ground. I wonder if the drinker’s burden is lightened by the leaving of this little bit of rubbish.

On dark days, when I am walking with my head down, peering at the city from underneath my umbrella, I kind of wish I could toss away all the worries of the world by throwing a glass empty into the park. I see an empty bottle of Glen’s and I think, “I wish it was that easy.”

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Here’s my last January walk! After six straight days of rain in Aberdeen, I decided to get out by myself in the area last Thursday. I have been trying to go for longer walks when I’m alone because I’m hoping to go on a really long walk in the not too distant future. Plus I just think sometimes it is such a treat to go for a walk all alone. (No listening to whining!)

I realized last week that if I walk far enough west from my house, I eventually (after about 2 miles) hit fields of sheep! I was delighted to make this discovery.

First I had to walk past some slightly run down parks and neighborhoods, but I love learning different ways to get to places in my town.

I walked to my library to return books and pick up a new one my cousin recommended. Then I found these fields and paths that were even marked!

I only hit a little rain + hail on my walk, but I try to not ever be without my umbrella these days!

No sunshine, but the sky was as bright as I had seen it in a week. Is it kind of sad that I am now differentiating between bright cloudy and dark cloudy? Bright cloudy is definitely better.

So glad I was wearing my big boots though because with lots of rain comes lots of mud!

Sheesh! I was a mess by the time I got back.

Where have you been walking lately?

Friends, it is always encouraging to see the other walks shared in the Facebook group and on Instagram! If you blog about one of your #48walks, be sure and leave a link on the Facebook page or email it to me at alison (at) alisonchino.com, and one of these days I’ll share a list of walking links! And, anyone can join in anytime and walk with us.

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