It’s a pleasant 20 degrees Celsius in Shoal Bay, off Tasmania’s east coast. The northerly wind’s being deflected over Bishop and Clerk, the main peaks on Maria Island and Roobi is bobbing gently at anchor in the clear water.

We’re celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary today (40 years together, but three of those were the ‘try before you buy’ component). We started the day with a walk through the isthmus and onto stunning Reidel Beach. With only a couple of pied oyster catchers for company it was easy to pretend it was our own private beach. It doesn’t get more romantic than a long walk hand-in-hand with Capt G. (When he gathered, and carefully washed, all the shells to decorate my sand drawing I got a little misty eyed.)

This sailing life can be crazy busy, but I’m grateful that we have the time to slow travel. It’s easy to fall into the trap of moving on to find the next beach, the next view, the next cute little town. I wonder sometimes if social media exacerbates this as we’re all looking for new pictures, new experiences to fill our feeds. There’s so much to be found if we look a little closer, soak up the ambience, appreciate the beauty around us. ‘Smell the roses’ as the saying goes!

As I type this post the smell of fresh baked bread surrounds me and I’m reminded again that love doesn’t need grand gestures. It comes in the little moments, the considerations, the compromises, and in giving back.

We can never say ‘I love you’ too many times.