Month: August 2025

After a few busy weeks in the summer holidays it was time to relax and take things a little easier this week. We pottered around at home and on one day I went down to the pier and polished my birthday plaque. I do like being on the pier, it has a great view of the town and feels a very peaceful place. We also did walks, played football on the downs and I had a big decluttering session in the porch which was very satisfying!

We are having very serious talks about a possible house move so went to the neighbouring town to look at some houses for sale, not viewings, but just to see location. Our motivation for the move is due to my husband no longer being able to drive since his brain injury and the town being conveniently placed for public transport. However we still are trying to make a decision, there’s so much to consider. Whilst we were in the town we went to the local cinema to see Naked Gun. It was watchable with predictable plot lines but amusing and not a bad way to spend an evening.

We do try and do something special each week in the holidays and this week we went to Beaulieu. Whilst it is famous for its car museum, which is impressive and interesting, I think there’s so much more to do. I was delighted to discover there was a sculpture exhibition around the house and gardens and was in my element walking around and admiring the art. I also loved the little monorail trip around the estate, so cute. Beaulieu has so much interesting history and I was really taken by the exhibition on the French resistance movement some of whom had been trained at the estate as part was requisitioned by the government during World War 2. I studied this period for my French A level and by focusing on two resistance agents in the exhibition it made it very engaging.

I have started a book this week which is having a big effect on me Let them by Mel Robbins. The premise is let them, one cannot control others’ actions or emotions, and Let me, do what I can do. It’s a fascinating read. I also bought a couple of books on a shopping trip as I had some book tokens. One is a recipe book, autumn generally makes me more creative in the kitchen and a book on fashion ‘Clothes and other things that matter’ which is next on my to read list. I went shopping whilst the boys were at the first home game of the new season. The shopping centre is close to the ground so I was able to drop and pick them up. I like the football season it gives our weekends more rhythm and structure and the boys do enjoy their little trips.

This was such a busy week as we unpacked from our summer holiday, spent a few days getting organised and then went to Liverpool for a very busy couple of days. As I write this we are all relaxing and recharging after a brilliant trip away.

I seem to have done so much this week, but all of it has been very enjoyable. Last Saturday I attended a memorial service for a very special man. I knew him through running, but the service showed what an incredible and humble man he had been in all areas of his life, always there to help others and respected by so many. He had been one of the founders of our town’s running club and this was how I got to know him and his wife, whom still remains one of my running buddies. The club started about 20 years ago, and he took us newbies out and coached us to run. It was a testament to him that so many of us still love running and were there at the service. It was a beautiful, peaceful experience. It was not a sad service but one of celebrating his life, with songs, speeches and an afternoon tea, a beautiful event.

Normally we are not at home this week, as we traditionally took our summer holidays on this week. This was when I worked at a different school with slightly different holidays and it’s taken a few years to create a new schedule. This meant we were home for the first time in many years for the Lifeboat week. We took part in the annual duck race and then I ran in the Lighthouse Loop race. I generally don’t do races, so I was a bit nervous, especially as it’s hilly but I surprised myself by enjoying the experience and it’s on my to do list for next year.

This week I have also been playing with my new Garmin watch. It was my birthday present as I become more focused on my running, working towards the half in October. It is soo fancy, I haven’t worked out all the features but am loving what I have discovered. It does help that I’ve done a load of steps this week, so my stats are looking pretty decent.

Since we’ve been back from holiday, Mr S has been busy tidying up the garden and picked a whole bucket of fresh potatoes from his veggie patch. I love having home grown food on the dinner table.

After my summer holidays, I decided it was time to streamline my wardrobe and used the selling platform on Vinted. OMG, I’m impressed, I’ve sold lots this week and made a nice little pot of money which I spent on treats in Liverpool. I also won £30 on the lottery, something I very rarely do and this too went to the Liverpool pennies. Talking of looking after the pennies, I had a proper grown up meeting with a pension adviser this week too. It seems all is on plan for retirement at 60.

And so onto Liverpool which again was an epic trip. I love Liverpool, the music, football and culture. It’s one of my favourite cities and did not disappoint on this trip. As soon as the football fixtures came out and the first game was away in Liverpool during my holidays it was a no brainer that we would be going. My daughter joined us too as she too is a big fan of the city. We wanted to make the most of our time and to get there for Fri lunchtime, we had an early start, the 6.30am train which meant a 4.20am alarm call as we’re around an hour’s drive from the station. Amazingly the buzz of the city meant it’s only today, back at home that the tiredness is showing, we were full of energy in Liverpool, the vibe is contagious! After a nice lunch together we split as a group with the boys going off to Anfield and the girls to Curiosity Quarter. This is such a quirky, fun attraction, tricks, puzzles and experiments to question your senses and very worth a visit. We then did a quick reccie of the shops and pottered around, collecting a pickie tea from M&S and snacks for the morning before a quick change and out again for a night in Liverpool. The atmosphere was awesome, we headed down to Matthew Street for the live music, football and dancing and enjoyed every minute. The boys returned home excited and emotional about the match, it was a loss, but one which showed promise and hope for the coming season.

On Saturday morning, I headed to Princes park. I can’t miss the opportunity of a new parkrun. This summer has been one of trains, planes, automobiles (and ships, metro and buses) and thanks to the Mersey travel app I was at the park via the bus in good time. It was a great parkrun, flat and in a beautiful park. The walk back to the hotel with a freshly brewed cup of coffee from an indie cafe in the warm sunshine was just a wholesome moment. For the rest of the morning, the boys went over to see the new Everton stadium whilst the girls did some serious shopping. I think for the proximity, number and size of the shops, nowhere comes close to Liverpool as a shopping destination and we had a great time visiting favourite shops and making a few purchases. I bought my first Christmas present, a special souvenir of the match for my son. My Christmas 2025 planning has started! Our train was around 5pm and we rolled back home just before midnight, very happy and content with our days away.

This year we have enjoyed a wonderful holiday in the Med. Last year’s cruise was supposed to be a one off special holiday, but the pull of another cruise proved too much to resist and we combined it with some extra days in Rome. We wanted to introduce our son to a city which we love and which has many special memories as we were also married here.

Rome was as magical as ever and also very busy with the Catholic youth Jubilee taking place in the same week. It was a joyful ‘busyness’, groups of young people wandering the streets, carrying their national flags and singing, only adding to the atmosphere. The Jubilee did mean that St Peter’s Square was closed off when we tried to visit because of the crowds but we did find a few different viewpoints so we did see it. We hadn’t planned to do the Sistine chapel this time as we have seen it before and had marvelled at its beauty and been pretty awestruck. I’m not sure our 16 year old son would have had quite the same reaction so we chose to explore the Colosseum and Forum, Trevi fountain and Spanish Steps. The latter two have important wedding day memories for us, particularly as in this week we celebrated our anniversary. We also went to the Olimpico stadium for our football mad son, as both Rome teams and the national football and rugby teams play here. Our time in Rome was well planned and all bookings had been made well in advance. I had also done routes to the attractions and we easily navigated the town on foot, metro and bus to get to all the sites. Our trip only strengthened our special memories of the city, I love Rome and la dolce vita.

Our cruise departed from Civitavecchia and we had planned our transfer from Rome by train. We got a high speed train which took 45 minutes. The train was so clean, with seat reservations and very reasonable, another example of great public transport. As we had taken the high speed train, our fare doubled as the journey time halved, however it was still less than £10 a head. One can’t help compare to our train network and prices, we need better, more affordable public transport.

This year, we cruised with MSC and I cannot fault the company. I actually think this was a better cruise than P&O last year, yes there are things which each do better but on the whole I preferred the MSC experience. There was so much to do on the ship and the aquapark was magnificent, I enjoyed the slide boarding slide, as it was enclosed. I was too nervous to do an open slide as I was scared that I would fling out and land in the sea! The enclosed slide was much safer and comfortable. I also loved the zip wire across the boat, I did it twice as you got a wonderful view at a gentle pace.

We had five brilliant stops on this cruise. In Mallorca and Barcelona, we visited the football stadiums and had a tour, or as the Nou camp is being rebuilt a visit to an immersive museum. Both were really interesting in their own way, Barcelona is iconic, whereas the community culture and smaller stadium at Mallorca felt more like our local club. I really enjoyed walking around Palma after our visit, such a pretty city. Cannes was our one day without a plan, just to potter around the town and explore. We loved Cannes, it is gorgeous and the perfect place to mooch around. I went on the Ferris wheel, which has become a bit of a tradition, I can’t resist a big wheel and the views were excellent. We also had a lovely al fresco lunch and I enjoyed using my French around the town. Our day in Genoa was another real highlight as we did a Segway tour of the old town. The Segways were brilliant and as the town is mainly pedestrianised my worries about crashing into vehicles and every other worst case scenarios were not realised. The Segways were so much fun and our tour guide so interesting, I really felt I got to know lots about the town. Our final day was on a tour billed quiet rightly as a bucket list excursion, firstly to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and yes we did the pushing the tower photos and then onto Florence. I though Florence was such a beautiful city and a special way to end the cruise.

This felt a very special holiday, one in which we explored, relaxed, played, reminisced and created new memories. Now to choose (and save) for next year’s holiday.