A mid month catch up that’s not in the middle of the month: March

Hola, amigos!

My apologies – I’m not sure why I typed that, but it’s probably something to do with having spent most of March so far in a Spanish speaking country.

I wasn’t actually sure I was going to do one of these posts this month, although at one point I had visions of myself sitting in a rocker on a porch in Cuba, sipping a mojito and happily tapping out March’s post on my Ipad, which I hate using, but would make an exception for given the situation. It wasn’t to be; the rocker, porch, mojitos, Ipad and working hands were all present, but wifi certainly was not, so in the end it seemed futile to write anything.

I filled my would-be writing time with reading instead (one of the things that I sacrifice most frequently to the digital to do list, but one of the things that benefits me more than anything on said list ever will) and they were truly some of my favourite moments spent away. Not that there was an abundance of these moments – our visit was definitely more of a trip than a holiday, and we’ve arrived home exhausted.

I will of course be writing about Cuba (a post for each destination, and an overall one answering the questions I had before travelling there, so let me know if there’s anything in particular you want to know), so I won’t go too much into it from the travel point of view.

What I will say is that it’s certainly a very interesting country – frustrating at times, in fact, although for reasons that are too complex to go into especially considering I don’t believe I’m well read on the political history enough to be the ideal person to do so – but completely beautiful. In our time there we explored cities, villages, beaches, mountains, waterfalls and valleys, walked mile after dusty mile, spent a few nights on a farm hearing the crows of more roosters than I ever want to sleep in close proximity to again, and learned a whole lot about the place.

And now, with a broken camera and a backpack full of filthy clothes (a grimy mix of iron-rich earth, suncream, sand and sweat) and feeling as though I’ve been absent far longer than mere weeks, I’m back.

This weekend has been spent, predictably, on washing and tidying and sorting, and this short and probably meaningless post is my last ditch attempt to procrastinate further from opening my email inbox, which hasn’t been touched since 6^th March and is in a rather sorry state. We are, however, going to have a roast – a roast! – which, after a Cuban food journey that I would probably describe as ‘varied’ in quality (if not in content), is set to be a real treat.

The rest of the month will likely pass in the shadow of a travel hangover – a return to the day-to-day amplified in strangeness by its difference to what was happening a week ago and a backlog of chores, administrative tasks and communications to contend with. There are just seven days of it left, so I think I can comfortably predict five days of work, an easy return to the gym but a painful return to my Thursday night bootcamp class, and a load of Cuba photos posted on Instagram.

Speaking of which – I’m finding Instagram so terribly dull and uninspiring at the moment that I’m not quite sure where to go from here. Being unable to use it via forced digital detox by virtue of the rigmarole involved in connecting to wifi there was actually a relief; I missed taking the photos (there were obviously lots of photo opportunities, but I wasn’t always keen to be a subject) far more than I missed posting them. Bit of a conundrum, since I don’t think abandoning it would be wise – as we all know, you’re only a success if you’re a success on Instagram (ha).

Still, I’m sure I’ll work it out when I have the headspace. For now, it’s getting back into a routine, and scouting out a Mother’s Day card, another thing I can comfortably predict to feature in the rest of my March. Afternoon Tea is on the agenda for the day itself, and the pleasure to be found in scones and miniature cakes is not to be underestimated.

How’s it been for you?

What I’m wearing: my outfit for our second day in Havana

Dress – Zara | Sandals – Primark | Hat – H&M | Bag – Topshop | Scarf – C/O Accessorize