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Shetland - A Pause That Felt Like Home

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Towards the end of May, my partner and I finally ticked something off our bucket list - the Shetland Islands. It had been a long time since we had a proper trip together (trips to homeland doesn't count), and this felt like a chance to rekindle the wanderlust within us. But more than that, it was a chance to do what we love most -travel, go birding, and explore - side by side, the way we always have. I will admit I was slightly nervous. The long ferry crossing from Aberdeen to Lerwick had me worried about motion sickness. Especially because the memory of a channel crossing a few years ago is still vivid in my mind. It had left a bad taste - I was seasick the entire time. But this journey turned out to be smoother than I could have imagined. I stood on deck watching guillemots, gannets and gulls fly around the ferry as the light faded, and then slept soundly through the night. We were even treated to a few glimpses of dolphins - and I went to sleep with a smiling heart. ...
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A Podcast, a Pause, and a Reflection on Training

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The other day I listened to the podcast, 'How to make learning stick and drive performance', which discussed training/learning, and a lot of what was said resonated with me. As part of my own continuing professional development, I am currently undertaking training, which perhaps made this reflection even more meaningful.  As I am not much of an auditory person, I used to listen to podcasts sparingly, but recently I am making an effort to tune into HR podcasts. That's how I came across this podcast. The participants discussed various aspects of learning, because it was, of course, the topic of that episode. I was amused to hear them talk about the “less impactful” training sessions they’ve attended and almost laughed out loud listening to some of their experiences. Anyway, the podcast got me thinking, and here I am blogging about it. It was perhaps the much-needed impetus to revive this blog, which has been inactive for almost three years now. Coming back to the topic, I agr...
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Of Little Trips and Great Learnings

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The other day, we (some staff, volunteers and service users of Mary Seacole House, Liverpool) went on a day trip to Llangollen. This wasn't the first time I accompanied them on a day trip. In fact, this must have been the third or fourth time I am going on a trip with the group since February 2022. Whenever I go on a trip with the group, it fills me with endless joy. It is not just the fact that I love travelling, but the fact that these trips give me an opportunity to know the people around me better.   For most service users, these trips are new experiences. Many of them don't get an opportunity to travel out of Liverpool. They spend all the time cooped up in the hotels/hostel after returning from classes/activities organised by MSH. And if someone gets an opportunity, they don't usually have the money or resource to fund their trip. For almost all of them, these trips are avenues of escape from the harsh realities of life. It is something to look forward to and remind...
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How Volunteering Improved My Mental Health

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A year and a half ago, I was pretty content with my writing gigs, sketching & drawing, and doing things I thought made me happy. As the world returned to normalcy, I slowly emerged from the stress and misery I felt during the pandemic. Although my work and hobbies had kept me going through those dark days of social isolation and loneliness, a strange feeling of void continued to nag me all the while. Each day found me struggling to find any sense or purpose to what I did – life was becoming more and more mechanical. Even the things I enjoyed the most in the past, drawing and writing, started to feel more like a boring task I had to complete. No matter what I did, I found myself getting frustrated and unhappy. At that time, I was living in a self-imposed bubble, and had minimal contact with people outside my family as I didn't feel like talking to or meeting with friends or socializing in any way. Of course, I enjoyed the trips with my family , and perhaps that was the only thin...
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Driving from Edinburgh to Isle of Skye through scenic roads- Amazing Scotland

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In this episode of Amazing Scotland series, we invite you to join us on this scenic drive to Isle Skye from Edinburgh. There are several routes to Isle of Syke from Edinburgh. We have travelled through some of those highlands roads during our previous visits. This time, we decided to take the most scenic routes of them all which will take us through Cairngorms National Park and Snow Road. You can see the video of our trip here (if you liked what you saw, please subscribe the channel and show your support) The 90 mile stretch of Snow Road is said to be an amazing sight in the winter. We read that it is no less beautiful during the summer as well. As we are never tired of beautiful sights, we jumped at the opportunity to see new sights and explore new routes. You'll see that our decision was right. As we left Edinburgh behind, we were treated with some amazing scenery - it was literally feast for our eyes and soul. We couldn't have asked for more (except, perhaps a better weat...
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Royal Mile Walk Part -2|| Edinburgh || Amazing Scotland

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If someone asks us 'what to see in Edinburgh Scotland', we would say 'Royal Mile without any hesitation. Well, you want to know why, check out the earlier blog here . Here is the second part of the Vlog where you can enjoy these sights on our YouTube Channel Wanderscapes. Don't forget to subscribe and show your support while you are there. In this second part, we continue from where we left off last week- we bring sights from the Edinburgh Castle (https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/). Although we didn't go inside this time due to the pandemic situation, we had been inside a couple of times and so we know what's inside. Edinburgh Castle If you are in Edinburgh and go in, make sure your time your visit to see the daily gun shot which happens precisely at 1 PM. This happens daily, except on Sundays, Christmas and Easter. The other attractions include the Scottish Crown Jewels - the crown, sceptre and sword used during the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots. There ar...
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Royall Mile Walk Part #1 - Edinburgh - Amazing Scotland

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Royall Mile Walk Part #1 - Edinburgh - Amazing Scotland  Ok, so before anything, let me lay down the cards - this is a travelogue based on our trip to Scotland. We are making a vlog series of it. So, if  you would rather watch it than read it here, click here  to watch on our YouTube channel, Wanderscapes  (and while you are there, consider subscribing to the channel too)  Royal Mile Now, this is the second episode of our Amazing Scotland Series. We have just reached Edinburgh. In this blog, I tell you about some of the must see sights of Edinburgh. In the video, you'll get a glimpse of Holyrood Palace and Scottish Parliament before we go on one of the amazing walks through the city. Since this blog is about Royal Mile, I don't intend to go into the details of the palace and parliament.  Holyrood Palace - Front View Royal Mile is a one mile stretch of road extending from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace. It is a collection of five streets - Castlehill, ...
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