A new year is upon us! This is 2024, a year in review...
January and February
After months of travel at the end of 2023, the year had a pretty chill/boring start. I had the sad news that my contract had not been renewed for my summer job so I began looking for work with much disappointment and annoyance. I was feeling pretty low towards the end of the first two months of 2024.
March
I started a new job with the local government at the beginning of March, there was so much to learn and it was quite overwhelming to begin with.
I got two new tattoos as an early birthday present to myself.
My darling Nanny sadly passed away in the middle of the month following a short illness (complicated by her Alzheimer’s). This left a huge hole in our family. Grieving is a complicated process, there’s no manual on how to get through it and everyone deals with it differently.
Mentally, I was in a bleak place. Up until this point, it had been one thing after the other that had knocked the wind out of my sails, and I was really struggling. Made even worse when at my new job, I was made to feel like having time off for my grandmother’s death was an inconvenience (you can probably assume what happens later).
April
Still reeling from losing Nanny, it was a strange and emotional start to the month. We had Nanny’s celebration of life which meant more precious family time and reminiscing the fun and cherished memories. The service was lovely and I hope she would have liked it (and how much cake there was afterwards).
The week after was a different type of celebration – my 30th birthday. This was a whole week of celebrating. First, was a trip to Manchester with my mum for some sightseeing, a stunning birthday afternoon tea and to see Paloma Faith in concert. The second part of birthday week was visiting my dad and his side of the family, we had some lovely meals out and I got to see most of that side of the family which was great. A couple of weeks after my birthday, we had another little celebration but this time with family friends and the coolest birthday cake ever!
At the end of the month, I was able to witness something special. In the winter of 2023, a number of seal pups were rescued from the shores around Jersey and as a marine mammal medic with BDMLR (British Divers Marine Life Rescue), I was invited to watch their release. It was a great few hours as we watched them return from the GSPCA in Guernsey and be released into Jersey waters, swimming around and playing in the surf. A wonderful and heartwarming experience.
May
I started May with a weekend trip to London where I did some sightseeing (of course) and caught up with some friends. I went to places in London I wouldn’t usually visit or places that I haven’t been to for a long time. I really enjoyed it. The highlight of the trip was the immersive Van Gogh Exhibition, a collection of interactive and studies of my favourite artist and one of the greatest painters to have ever lived. I love a good trip to London and it wasn’t my only trip there this year.
Back home, we had a thrilling couple of nights when a solar flare caused the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) to be visible as far south as the Mediterranean. It was so incredible! The sky turned to a weird red-purple colour so mum and I got in the car and drove out to one of the darkest spots on the island. We waited as the sky changed, mostly just through the camera but there was a slight change with the naked eye too. Just as we were heading home, the sky burst with light and we saw the Aurora in full, dancing in the night sky. Magical!
For Spring Bank Holiday weekend, my friend Chloe came to visit and we had a fantastic weekend being tourists. We went on a trip to Les Ecrehous with Jersey Seafaris, visited Mont Orgueil Castle and Jersey War Tunnels, and ate some amazing food. It was so lovely to have Chloe to visit.
June
Nothing very exciting happened in June. I worked mostly. Very boring.
July
It had been a long time coming but finally, on July 1st I could apply for my second working holiday visa for Australia. I had been waiting for this day for what seemed like a lifetime. It was granted within minutes of submitting my application. I cried it was that much of a relief, especially after a challenging first 6 months of the year.
As a belated 30th birthday celebration, my mum, my sister and me, went on an all inclusive family holiday to Mexico. With an overnight stop in London before the trip, we spent some time at Buckingham Palace (sadly, Their Majesties weren’t at home that afternoon) before heading back to our hotel for the night. We had a wonderful week in Mexico. We spent the majority of the time chilling poolside but we did go on a day trip to see Mayan ruins and swim in a cenote. I also had the most incredible experience of a lifetime when I spent the day swimming with Whale Sharks.
I also changed jobs in July. Deflated, disappointed and mentally exhausted with working with the local government for various reasons (including my manager outright telling me “any time off is an inconvenience to the business”), I quit. Luckily, a childcare job I had previously worked at was hiring for the summer holidays and took me back immediately (so lucky there). The timing suited me perfectly as the countdown was on and I was planning on going back to Australia in October.
August
August was for family time. Dad and family came over to visit for a week of food, fun and making memories. We spent time at the beach and around the hotel pool – with dad making us all howl with laughter has he invented pool Olympics (or his impressions of the Olympics, the synchronised swimming was a particular favourite). We also went to Battle of Flowers moonlight parade followed by a concert by a Queen tribute band which we all enjoyed.
With Mum, my sister and her family, we had lots of family time. From time spent in the garden watering the plants (sometimes overwatering) with my nephew to training Loki the not-so-small puppy to a wholesome day out with the family at a sunflower farm – it was great.
September
The highlight of September was my mum. My amazing mum had spent the year raising money and training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with other fundraisers all in aid of Dementia Jersey. The charity is close to our hearts as they were so helpful to the family when Nanny was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s just before the pandemic and throughout her last years. It was the toughest challenge and although she didn’t quite reach the very top, she climbed a mountain (the tallest free-standing mountain in the world may I point out) and raised a lot of money for charity. Her hard work was rewarded with an amazing few days on safari in Tanzania. Mum, I am so proud of you and this achievement. I’m also pretty proud of your photography skills, obviously me taking millions of photos has rubbed off on you.
While mum was climbing a mountain, I spent a weekend in London with my friends Chloe and Iona doing the usual sightseeing, eating good food, and enjoying a great show on the West End. It was our last get together before I went back to Australia so it was a great catch up, and a little sad to be leaving them behind. This trip to Australia wouldn’t be the same without them.
As September came to an end, it was time to pack and prepare for another year (or longer) away from home. I enjoyed making the most of being with family before my departure.
October
October 1st and it was time to leave Jersey once again. En route to Australia, I stopped off for a mini adventure in Singapore. I managed to hit the sights I wanted to see such as the Gardens by the Bay, Jewel Changi and, of course, I went to the aquarium. I also met up with my friends Annabel and Liv and we went to Universal Studios Singapore which was so fun! It was a brief trip but I enjoyed it so much!
On landing in Sydney, I felt as though I had finally returned home. I was reunited with a number of my friends within the first week back. I also caught up with an old school friend who I hadn’t seen in around 10 years. I sublet an apartment while I looked for work and settled back into city life. When I wasn’t looking for work or a permanent place to live, I was mostly at the beach or walking the coastal walk or doing some retail therapy.
November
I finally moved into my apartment at the beginning of November – it was so nice to unpack and feel at home. I also had an interview and was accepted to return to my old job at SeaLife Sydney. It has been great to get back into work and meet new people. I really felt like I was home, and at times it feels like I never left.
December
I’m sorry but how the hell is it December? Where has this year gone?
I’ve been settling into work and my new home, a few beach days here and there and catching up with friends. I’ve had some nice meals out, been to see Wicked at the cinema (amazing!), won a few trivia nights and hiked to a beautiful waterfall.
To get into the Christmas spirit, I went inside the Sydney Opera House for the first time to watch “Home Alone: Live in Concert”. Sitting in the enormous concert hall listening to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra play the original John Williams score while the movie played on the big screen – it was amazing!
I spent a weekend visiting my cousin on the Central Coast. We spent our weekend at the beach, swimming in the sea and chatting lots. A lovely weekend spent!
Christmas was very different this year. I was working at the aquarium most of the day and then went home and spent the evening eating and watching tv – it was honestly pretty lonely and not something I would like to experience frequently. New Year’s Eve was much better and spent with my friends – we met early morning and spent around 14 hours sat on Bennelong Lawn of the Royal Botanical Gardens, overlooking the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, ready for the fireworks at midnight. We welcomed in 2025 with a spectacular display (the best in the world)!
It’s been a rollercoaster year filled with ups and downs. The first six months were not great, and I’ll admit that mentally, I was in a pretty bleak place. The second half of the year has been much better with the focus being my return to Australia.
Can we just take a minute to been shocked that it will be 2025!!! When the heck did that happen??? 5 years ago, I could never have imagined I’d be writing this from my apartment in Sydney, on my second working holiday visa. 5 years ago, I could never have imagined that the new disease that was spreading far away from home would cause a global pandemic. I never would have imagined that the last 5 years would go so quickly and that so much would change.
Here's to 2025. May your year be blessed with love and adventure.
Comments