Often described as the UK‘s Gateway to the World, Southampton has been the ‘diving board’ from which I’ve launched into many a joyful adventure. At 2 degrees Centigrade it’s a chilly morning here – but a golden sunrise on the horizon speaks of warmth and promise … next stop, the Azores. The ‘shape’ and the sheer variety of life on earth illuminate my days aboard MS Borealis – a few days here and there upon miles and miles of open sea lead to soul-widening new encounters. Edinburgh, Lakeland, family and beloved friends, all – in some sense – travel with me, so the familiar is at the heart of all that I am. But so, too, is the unfamiliar, all that my heart, soul, mind and body unknowingly aspire to, even in the Now-ness of this single moment. And I sometimes find myself imagining even greater ‘Gateways to the World’ and an eternal ‘vessel’ possessed of limitless capacity for Love’s eternal voyaging …

Afternoon update: things are looking hopeful for dinner time 😉