There are 10 days in a decade when I can ignore everyone and do more or less nothing. I have two great loves in life, when it comes to activities outside work: travel and doing nothing at all. These are the extremes, difficult to combine but 1 August 2007 I managed to wed them.

The First of August, no children and no obligations in sight (already an unusual feat, as opposed to fete), I climbed into the hammock. I took with me a camera and a book of 2006 best travel stories. I read, I dozed, I photographed butterflies, I reflected on the nature of reflection. I basically frittered away an afternoon.

The reading was excellent and I am now ready to buy 10 tickets to fly off to obscure places I don’t know, which means going back to work to earn the money to buy the tickets to have the excitement – well, you know the story. It’s called Traveller’s Itch.

Meanwhile, a kind soul delivered a cup of the best Chinese tea, the kind where the first cup is fine, the second more interesting with hints of fennel or licorice and the third chewy and excellent. Remnants of China’s high spots, from trips past.

The butterflies, after several skittish encounters, cooperated and posed with the Alps behind them. The photographer, unfortunately, didn’t manage to focus them correctly. Your loss.

This is the start of voyages to come.

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