How Did I Get To Here?!

It’s not often I am floored by a question but then it’s not often I do an interview for the Croatian Language School.  The first question was “How does one go from being an accountant to a freelance journalist?” Momentary speechlessness was quickly followed by verbal diaorrhoea and a potted CV. It’s the first time I’ve really thought about it properly but I think I was always destined to be a writer of some sort as I’ve always loved words. A few might say I use far too many of them.

  

It’s not the most obvious of career paths but it’s certainly been an interesting and varied one and I wouldn’t have swapped any of it. To find out how I did it you can read the full interview here. Croatian Language School Interview

Many thanks to Alexander, my interviewer, for allowing me to waffle on before I eventually got to the point, an essential part of the process of getting there! And to Linda, the founder of the school for her continued interest in one of her ex pupils!

Jane’s 2016 Update!

One of the good things about writing  this particular blog, updated only intermittently, is that it provides  the perfect opportunity to stand back and do some strategic thinking - where have we been; where are we going and other “life in the universe” questions like that!

In fact though I am still very passionate about the role of dogs in all parts of our lives, including work, a number of strands came together soon after I wrote that last posting in late 2014. Various events led me to believe I had a good long term prospect of building up my retirement pot a little by continuing to freelance, rather than getting a “proper job”, and so the need to revolutionise workplaces, in favour of our canine companions, became less of a priority!

Having been a little “paralysed” on all things Croatian for a couple of years, Croatia is now the principal focus. We now have a new independent publisher and a clear run at a new edition of our very successful Croatia Cruising  Companion. Alongside that there are a couple of other Croatian projects in the pipeline and my new blog Croatia Camping Guide might give you a hint about one of them!

Camping and cruising in Croatia follow extremely complementary paths. You’ll often find the best “hidden” anchorages or lunchtime spots, or both, near the best mini camps. With both you will discover the best parts of coastal and island Croatia. So how lucky was I to spend seven gorgeous weeks exploring the best of Croatia by boat and campervan, researching the new edition of the Croatia Cruising Companion and experiencing the realities of camping in Croatia? I always knew that sailing Croatia was one of the best ways to explore it, but camping comes a very close second, especially if you have a dog with you that demands interesting walks and swims. It led to the discovery of some new and idyllic spots that might perhaps not be  entirely suitable as anchorages or moorings, and therefore merited little space in the first edition of our book, but have other significant attributes.

One such idyllic spot is featured in today’s photo. It’s about a kilometre, as the crow flies, west of Marina Hramina on Murter. Driving a few kilometres, sometimes along an unmade road, from the town of Murter, you come to the splendid, totally unspoilt  location of Mini Camp Lasatka. It’s one of the newest of a new breed of small campsites that are such a delight, especially in contrast with some of  the older breed of ginormous, holiday camp type, sites.  The campsite provides all the essential facilities of electricity, water and waste disposal, plus modern showers and toilets, and Croatia does the rest. Of particular note is the tiny islet of Skoljić, connected to the mainland, close to the campsite, by a stone causeway with a path. That means you can walk all arround the little islet which, as luck would have it and on a clear day, provides the mopst amazing sunset view of some of the Kornati islands.

I think this last trip may have spoilt me for life and I may never go anywhere else but Croatia, with a campervan or boat (or maybe both!). The schedule was hectic – a different location almost every night in order to cover everything we needed to do and more, but it was  truly amazing and, even after living there for ten years, and exploring it so widely, there are still so many new places to see, though I may now have to go inland a bit more now!!

We won’t be getting to Camp Lasatka for quite a while on our chronicle of campsites on The Croatia Camping Guide so here’s a direct link to their Facebook Page, here’s a photo of the map which shows where they are…….

and, although the tiny little harbour is not suitable for anything other than shallow draught boats, here’s a picture which illustrates what a great area it is for sailing…….

So….2016 and the next few years are all set to be happy, busy and hopefully productive Croatia centric working years providing, plenty of excuses for frequent return visits.

Another Blog; Another Update!

Barnie the dog had a brief mention in my last posting, and here he is doing a canine impression of Superman!

He features in this update because I’ve just started a new blog Bring Your Dog To Work In Suffolk

Why?!

Having spent the last couple of months having a thoroughly good clear out and taking stock, it seems that early retirement is a little way away just yet, and it might be time for a new challenge!

So I started thinking about what else I could add to my existing portfolio career and the biggest limiting factor appears to be the quality of life of Barnie the dog, and indirectly my own.

In a classic piece of role reversal, I promised my mum, when she came to live with me (see below), that we would have a dog. And in a classic example of what you should not do when getting one, though it turned out well, I took the first dog I saw. I was lucky I suppose, particularly as Barnie had been picked up as a stray in Wakefield, was shipped down to Suffolk, spent three months in RSPCA kennels and did not give much away when we first met – the smells on the walk were far more interesting than me. I was looking for a female, Spaniel type, aged up to three, and I came away with a male, Staffy type, aged “about five”. However he was the right size and the RSPCA chap that looked after him said he had a good character and indeed he has!

Now he’s about nine and has been an angel since day one though I have to admit I was quite bossy to start with! He comes just about everywhere with me, including abroad in the campervan, under the table for pub lunches when allowed, and to work meetings whenever  possible. I have a home office and he’s used to printers, phones, shredders and plenty of visitors. In other people’s offices he will say hello if they want to, or simply settle down quietly in the corner or under a desk. No one would know he’s there unless they want a little “pat dog” therapy in which case he’s only too willing to oblige.

The point is, I worked pretty hard, when I first got him, to make sure he knew how to behave in most circumstances – no jumping up (on people or furniture), no begging, understanding the words “bed”, “sit” and “down”, etc. The result is that I got what I was aiming for – a go anywhere dog – which means he can spend most of the time with me and I can relax when I’m “in company” with him.

However, whilst most of the clients, customers and contacts who know me have been only too happy to accept that Barnie is part of the package I provide, and whilst a lot of my work is done from home or travelling around, it’s a challenge to find new workplaces where I could even contemplate asking to bring a well behaved dog with me. It still seems like a huge deal and I’d like it to be easier.

Yes, some people don’t like dogs, or are afraid of or allergic to them. Yes, there are quite understandable health, safety and other reasons why certain places are not appropriate for dogs. Similarly, there are certain dogs, or more accurately owners, who are not suitable ambassadors for more dogs in the workplace. However we have forgotten the roots of man’s relationship with dogs, if all we want from them is a warm welcome when we come home in the evening and an accessory for a Sunday afternoon stroll. And if all we can offer them is at least eight hours on their own every working day then I don’t think we’re being very kind or fair.

Consequently, for a responsible dog owner, in most circumstances, the only option is to find whatever work is available that does not require going to someone else’s business premises very often, and/or very long, and that seems a waste for everyone.

So, as I considered my options, I decide I would try and enhance them by researching the “bring your dog to work” options available in Suffolk, and the best way I know of aiding a research project like this is starting a blog!

The dream is an ever increasing number of business premises with signs that say “well behaved dogs welcome here”!

Jane’s 2014 Update!

Can it really be nearly 5 years since I updated this blog about me?! Fortunately my other blogs are a lot more up to date and I suppose that it’s normal that when you’re really busy the last thing you think about is yourself.

Where to start?!

I featured my mum in the last update and she was a very big part of my life following that post. She was not very happy in her residential home, the cost went up and up, interest rates (and her income) went down and down and so we decided that I could manage her care better and give her a better quality of life. That and a few other things led to me relocating to a bungalow in Suffolk and moving her in with me. It was an intense but very rewarding couple of years during which we had a lot of fun and I learnt a great deal about the care and health systems and what life was like for an elderly person. I could write a whole book on that and maybe I still will….

Unfortunately mum died in 2011 at the ripe old age of 91 but the bungalow in Suffolk still suits me very well and I have found other ways in which to put what I have learnt from her to good use. My town now has an active Good Neighbour Scheme, with 30 volunteers, which I helped to found, and I have more time for the work I enjoy most – writing.

Croatia is still a big part of that – I know it better than I know anywhere and have so many good friends and contacts there. Not a day goes past when there isn’t some kind of good news story and it’s first on my list of places to visit when I can store up enough spare time. Now I have a dog, it normally means a trip in our campervan but the journey is almost as good as the destination! Read more about Croatia  on Croatia Online or Croatia Cruising Companion

Suffolk is also a pretty fascinating and alluring place – great people, an easy going traditional ( mostly rural) culture, seaside, magnificent landscapes, great local produce, plenty of wartime and other history and much, much more. You can get a taste of it  on Suffolk Online

And my other area of  journalistic expertise, sparked in Croatia and honed through many recent years of researching and writing for the leading superyacht magazine, is  international superyacht marinas. Below are just some of the publications I have written, edited and/or contributed to.

Superyacht Owner's Guide To Montenegro & The Adriatic

Superyacht Owner's Guide To Croatia

Superports 

What’s next you ask? Well, as soon as I know you’ll be able to read it here and hopefully elsewhere!

***

Today’s photo is me sitting outside The House In The Clouds in Thorpeness, Suffolk.

Onwards And Upwards

I hope my mum will forgive me for putting a picture up of her without her express permission.  Were it not for failing eyesight, she would have mastered the internet by now (and have substituted the picture for one when she was 21!).

She’s also been extremely tolerant of my need to travel and live my own life but there comes a time when we all need to measure up to what onwards and upwards really means. Fortunately, Croatia has taught me a few life lessons.

Prince Charles delivered a lecture tonight that started off as promising but ended up as thoroughly confusing and wordy. It belonged in the reign of “library” talks - important stuff but we all know the facts of global warming and nature’s imbalances. PC, for all my rapt attention and respect as a royalist, lost me.

Ivo Sanader, the Prime Minister of Croatia resigned last week with an explanation as weak as the global  economy. It seems like Croatia is not holding him to account, any more than the world seems to be interested in it. 

I think/hope Prince Charles was saying “get real”. The fervour was probably there, as was the eloquence of the delivery, but where were the action points for us lesser mortals?.

In the meantime, if Prince Charles, or Mr Sanader, are not able to offer any “deliverance from evil” (exit strategies!) then I will continue to have to strive to work it out for myself, my friends and family, along with the rest of the newly impoverished “middle world”.

***

Veronica, pictured next to my mum, remains  greatly missed.

Croatia Online 50,000 Hits Old - Onwards & Upwards

This was going to be the picture I used for Croatia Online's 50,000th hit until I realised it deserved something better. However this picture sums up for me a lot of what I have found best about Croatia - if you look hard enough, you can find what you want, if you try hard enough it can be fun, and everything comes round if you wait long enough!

Christmas, 2006, in Lupoglav, inland Istria, is a Croatian highlight yet to be beaten - in the company of very good friends, perfect weather, generous local hospitality, and it seems that I nearly remembered how to ride horses.

We'd been looking for a log cabin style winter break for a couple of years and thought it just couldn't be found in Croatia and then a friend of ours came back from Lupoglav and that was it. Log cabins take second place to the traditional round stone Kažuns we stayed in complete with a huge open fire (and a tricky chimney!) but with the advantage of mod cons such as air conditioning/heating and modern bathroom. All surrounded by stables, fields, picture postcard villages and a great restaurant that was part of the establishment, with owners that took great care to integrate us whilst they entertained their friends and family over Christmas.

About Me, One Year On

This photo just about sums up the vagaries of life and climate very neatly - look carefully through the trees!

One moment you're basking in the warmth and freshness of a lovely spring day (in Croatia or the UK) and the next minute you're having snowball fights in early April! Wherever you may be spending your time, adaptability and flexibility have to be the watchwords of the end of the first decade of the noughties.