Sometimes it only takes a change of scenery to notice how much we have stopped noticing.
My birthday this year gave me the perfect excuse for a little two-night escape to Bendigo. Nothing extravagant. A train journey after work on Thursday, a couple of nights away, some wandering, plenty of flowers, a few gnomes, good food and enough unpredictable Victorian weather to experience several seasons along the way.
The rain followed me there. Thursday evening was torrential wet, the train was delayed, and by the time dinner was finished the streets outside were glistening under the lights. Yet wandering around afterwards revealed a version of Bendigo I had never really noticed before.
Buildings looked different at night. Details stood out under lights that disappear into the background during the day. Wet pavements reflected colour, statues and monuments took on a completely different character, and even the tulips seemed worth stopping for simply because of the raindrops sitting on their petals.
Staying at the historic Hotel Shamrock added another layer to the experience. The old staircase, the lift, the architecture and the stories attached to the building all made me slow down and look more carefully. Even somewhere you are simply sleeping for the night can become part of the adventure when you are curious enough to notice what is around you.
The next morning began differently too.
No alarm. No need to wake at a particular time. I turned it off and simply woke up when my body was ready, with nowhere I needed to rush to. There was something rather lovely about starting my birthday that way.
Outside, grey skies gave way to colour. Giant flowers hung over the paths, floral installations appeared in unexpected places, and Bendigo in Bloom seemed to be inviting people to look up, look closer and see familiar spaces differently.
Then, almost perfectly timed, the sun came out.
By the time I reached the Botanic Gardens, I was very excited to finally go hunting for the Village of Gnomes. The blue sky had completely transformed the day, and suddenly everything looked brighter, more playful and full of possibility.
And yes, naturally, a birthday gnome hunt was always going to happen.
I was ridiculously pleased every time another one appeared amongst the plants.
Curiosity changes the way we move through a place. Instead of simply walking from one point to another, we start looking underneath things, behind things, upwards, sideways and sometimes back the way we have just come.
One giant flower can look completely different from underneath. A hedge becomes interesting when there is a bright pink doorway cut through it. An old tree becomes something else entirely when somebody has painted a tiny door into its trunk. A vintage tram becomes a café filled from floor to ceiling with flowers.
One of my favourite little discoveries was the Tram Café, tucked inside a beautifully restored vintage tramcar. The carriage had been decorated from floor to ceiling with flowers, creating such a colourful and cheerful space to sit and relax.
I treated myself to a Devonshire tea and simply enjoyed the moment. There was no rush to be anywhere else, and it felt like one of those lovely pauses where the setting becomes just as memorable as the food itself. The vintage timber, old tram windows, comfortable seating and masses of flowers made it feel wonderfully different from an ordinary café.
It was another reminder that curiosity often leads us to the places we might otherwise miss.
A town visited before can suddenly feel new again.
Perhaps that was one of my favourite parts of the whole mini break. Nothing needed to be rushed, and there was nowhere particularly important to get to. There was simply time to wander, notice, stop, change direction and follow whatever sparked curiosity.
Bendigo also has such a friendly feel to it. From the lovely surprise of being given a complimentary room upgrade at the Hotel Shamrock, to the smiles and hellos from people as I wandered around, there was a warmth to the place that made the whole visit feel even more welcoming.
I already enjoy spending time in Bendigo, and this little birthday escape reminded me why. There is still so much more I want to explore, and I am already looking forward to going back.
Somewhere amongst the gnomes, gardens, tram café, beautiful old buildings, locally made chocolates and yet another downpour, my batteries quietly began recharging.
One of the loveliest birthday messages I received was from a friend who wrote, “I admire the way you pursue life, highly optimistic!”
It stayed with me.
Maybe optimism is not always about expecting everything to go perfectly. The weather certainly did not. Trains get delayed. Rain arrives. Plans shift.
Perhaps optimism can also look like remaining curious enough to wonder what else might be here.
What might I notice if I slow down? What changes when I look from another angle? What appears when I revisit somewhere at a different time of day? What have I walked past before without really seeing?
Another year older?
Absolutely.
But perhaps more importantly, another year still curious, still wandering, still noticing, still excited about finding gnomes, and still making space to simply wake up in my own time once in a while.
And I rather like that.
