I am not one for resolutions and I don’t much like plans. If I make a plan to explore I tend to go overboard and there is too much room then for anxiety and doubts to start creeping in. I can go from writing a packing list to wondering what we would do if the worst should happen – and it happens every single time. More often than not resulting in me cancelling altogether. So, for me, plans are exhausting.
Much more preferable is to wake up one morning and have a feeling that I want to do something and then to just go with it. Obviously you cannot take this approach with all things though and I appreciate that sometimes a little planning is essential. My top tip for this is to marry a spreadsheet lover.
This year is our tenth wedding anniversary (and 20th together) and even though it meant that I had to make a plan, I was determined that we should do something special.
So, after a bit of deliberation over whether it is feasible in our current Covid climate, I have decided that 2022 should be our year to explore! I thought a lot about what that means and from it I made a sort of a wishlist for the year:
Back to the island
Many moons ago when we first met, MrG invited me to come along on the holiday he had booked with his friends. His sister was meant to go but she had had to drop out. So, just a couple of months after this rando from off of the internet, I agreed to go with them. The holiday was to Lanzarote. That was 20 years ago. I thought it would be a lovely idea to return to our first ever holiday destination to celebrate our time together.
I also know that M will LOVE being able to visit a real life volcano!
It’s only for a week but we haven’t been abroad for 5 years and I think it’s about time we try. We are going to be staying in Playa Blanca in a really lovely apartment next to a water park which means we will barely see Elizabeth! That girl grows gils on holiday, I swear.
The Norfolk coast
Remember earlier when I addressed my love of spontaneity? Well, a couple of weeks ago I was chatting with my sister and she mentioned that she had just booked a long weekend to the Norfolk coast for May. She said “you should book it too”. So I did!
I had been umming and aahing over taking the children to the seaside anyway – as we haven’t been in about 2 years – and I think that the Norfolk coast is vastly underrated. So we are now off to a place near to Great Yarmouth. I know it’s only a weekend but it will be a nice break and will also give Bonnie a short trial at the boarding place I have found for her. We have never left her before and this is someone’s home rather than kennels. It will be good to take her for the weekend to see how she gets on before our holiday in the summer.
I would love to tell you that we have an action packed weekend planned. But we don’t. I am looking forward to exploring Burgh castle and Gorleston beach but that’s about it really. Other than that I plan to be giggling with my sister while we watch our children play and the men BBQ (to be clear they will be operating the BBQ and not on it)
Cream teas all round
Another coastline I adore is definitely Cornwall. I love the idea of staying in a Falmouth hotel and exploring nearby attractions like Pendennis castle. Obviously a must when visiting Cornwall is to treat us all to a proper cream tea. On top of that you have the beautiful beaches of course. The only thing holding me back from visiting is just how busy it can get in the summer so I think we might aim for a bit earlier in the year and hopefully make the most of the local wildlife cruises. I think Bess and Moose would both love a bit of dolphin spotting. We would have to make sure we remember our sea sickness pills though, I still shudder at the thought of our ferry crossing to Guernsey a few years ago!
Castle spotting
When MrG was a youngster he says that his Mum used to drag him round old castles on trips all of the time. Sadly for MrG he has only gone and married a woman who has the same love of history that his Mum did (and does) so an absolute must when I think about exploring HAS to be some trips to castles!
There are so many really cool ones. I love the idea of spending a couple of weeks just going from castle to castle during the summer. For a moment there I did even think we could save loads of money by staying in our tent. Then I remembered that I hate camping so maybe not!
Top of the list though, has to be Edinburgh castle. I have always wanted to visit Edinburgh and never have. If anyone wants to suggest other places we should see in or close to Edinburgh then please comment below!
