Last few weeks have been intense.  Could be because I turned 40 recently - something I was not remotely worried about, until the birthday loomed nearer and nearer.  Then suddenly I really, really didn't want to be 40.   I felt a bit panicky and regretful.  Doesn't matter that I got a whole lot of encouraging emails and theories about only really starting to live after 40.  Nope. SO not convincing.  The main thing about it was that you haven't got a choice - no amount of whingeing or pleading or money or influence can change the fact that time is marching on... OK, ok, that's it, enough of a window into my burgeoning  mid-life crisis.  To cut a long story short, I had a little  tanty and told Jem that I DIDN'T WANT A PARTY, although he had already started organizing it, and thoroughly enjoyed my day with close family - but no balloons or streamers. It was great.

Then on the weekend we went away to Saaremaa, an island off the Estonian coast.  Booked into a fancy spa hotel, we got totally chlorine-logged swimming in the various pools, the boys taking every opportunity to swim, while I curled up on the deck chairs reading on my new kindle (yay!) and pretended we were on the beach at Coolum.  Just as good except no sunburn....

Saaremaa was a fabulous surprise for all of us.  A friend told me we would be facing a touristy metropolis, so I was stunned when the little town of Kuressaare boasted only 3 souvenir shops, a couple of antique shops selling nautical equipment, and a handful of cafes.  Lots of quaint wooden cottages. A big moat-surrounded, well-preserved medieval castle.  There weren't too many other tourists, and it really felt like we were on the edge of the earth when exploring the delights of the island.  Deserted beaches with artful grey rocky shores and little wooden fishing boats pulled up on the rocks.  A lighthouse we could barely see for the fog. Geocaches hidden in the most interesting places -in bird boxes hidden in pine forests; in the ruins of Soviet bases set amongst juniper bushes; in rocky outcrops near old wooden windmills. What a wonderful weekend.

Guess it's not so bad turning 40 after all.



Looking for a geocache on a deserted beach.  In the middle of this adventure Mikus said: "Now I know why it's called E-STONE-ia!!"  Came home with a car boot full of beautiful rocks.