Well, it's been a while....

Well, what can I say, dear friends, other than sorry it has been some time since I put my fingers to the keyboard to even contemplate writing a blog post!  If you have not already guessed, then yes, we are back home in sunny (because it is very sunny and warm as I type this) Scotland.  We flew home from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the 18th of February, and it took us some time to settle back into our home routine and catch up with friends and family.  Okay, I know that is of little excuse as that was almost 5 months ago, but hey, time flies when you are having fun, as they say!

Thankfully, the house was fine, apart from it being baltic (that means very cold to any non-Scots), so it took a wee while for the house to come fully back up to temperature.  We do have some heating on whilst we are away, but it is only for short durations in the morning and evenings, to minimise the risk of frost damage.  

It's great being away from the cold, damp weather over the winter months, but after 3 months, I am usually ready to go back home again - though I'm sure R could probably do longer!  I like getting my space and creature comforts back again.  Simple things like falling into your own comfy bed at night, having access to lots of kitchen utensils, ingredients to cook properly again, or even getting that buttered Morton's roll with square sausage that one has been craving for breakfast!  

Ultimately, it's all about balance, I think.  You appreciate the things that you missed whilst away, but you also enjoyed the weather, the  sights and the experiences that you gained whilst you were away.

Once Home

There is always a period of just getting back to normal when you return from any holiday.  In fact, you generally have a short period of time in which to do this, as you usually have the joys of emptying suitcases, doing laundry, and generally just getting ready for the 'joys' of returning to work.  Being retired is a little different in that we don't have the same time pressures that we once did when we were working, so we can afford to take longer to adjust back to our home life.  And that is exactly what we did, dear friends.  

We took our time and slowly resettled back into home life.  Of course, we both had various things to get done, like visiting the dentist, hairdresser/barber, responding to court for failing to register for jury duty - oops (R - not me, as his letter came in when we were away), checking out for any major changes in the area whilst we were away (there wasn't any!) and starting to think about our plans for spring and summer.  

Note: this blog was started ages ago and then absently left for ages too (oops!), so I've finally managed to finish it as I wanted to update a later trip.... I need to sort myself out!

Day 2 route:

May 2026

London, England

The Garden

One of the first tasks we arranged once back home was tree trimming.  I know, I know what a come down from far away travels, but we know from experience to get the trees done before they start to bud!  

I also decided that I was going to try to resume my gardening exploits by trying to grow some vegetables and flowers this year.  I did this a few years ago, and I was pleasantly surprised by my efforts.  However, my little polytunnel had been destroyed by the bad winds last year (or maybe the year before?), and I just didn't get back into it.  We also did a few trips and house maintenance projects last year, so that also probably explains why I wasn't in the garden as much as I would have liked (except to do the basic general stuff like cut the grass and pull up the weeds!).

So this year the plan was to spend a little more time doing 'garden things'.  Before I knew it, I was sorting out my seeds for germinating (indoors in the porch), and I'd bought a small polytunnel to assist with this.  Initially, all was going well.... but we'll come back to this later!

An Unexpected Surprise

What can I say about our wonderful children (A & S) that I haven't already?  Oh, ok, yes, I do call them some unpleasant and derogatory names at times, though it is mainly in jest - honest m'lud!  However, they outdid themselves with my Mother's Day and birthday gift: a theatre trip to London to see Hamilton!  To say I was excited, impressed and taken aback was an understatement, as I had no idea that the little sneaks had planned this.  They had roped R into the plan, so he was aware.

Now I should probably add here that I have passed through London on a few occasions, and without fail there has ALWAYS been some issue.  Most recently, it was when we were coming back from our Southampton fjord cruise, and there were issues with the trains and traffic, which resulted in us barely making our train (and having a rip-off £55 taxi ride from Victoria to Euston station).  I have always wanted to visit London to explore it in more detail and admire all the cool places, so this was the perfect opportunity!

Day 1 - Flight, Kensington, Nottinghill and Wicked

Giddy with excitement, R dropped S and me off at the airport for our 'London girls away' trip.  Of course, London must have been aware that I was arriving, so they decided to ensure that a 2-day underground strike would take place then.  (Note: the trip was organised before any strike days were planned or announced!).  Anyway, we managed to get into London just before midday on the day the strike was starting.  One of the perks of S's part-time job as a housekeeper with a large hotel group is that she gets discounted accommodation with the brand.  Not only were we staying in a fab location in Kensington, but we got into our room right away, and we got some free drink vouchers - oh yeah baby!  Knowing we were going to be on the go (and because we are still frugal!), we also had the foresight to stop off at a nearby Sainsbury's to purchase a bottle of bubbles for getting ready later on.  After quickly depositing our bags, we headed out to visit Kensington Gardens and the Notting Hill area.  The weather was fabulous - cool, but bright and, more importantly, dry.  We had a smashing time, just walking around the areas and taking in the beautiful buildings, gardens and markets.  It was thirsty work, so we did have to stop off for a Hugo Spritz (St-Germain, prosecco, sparkling water, ice, lime and mint - it's divine and a new favourite!)

Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for dinner (at the hotel), before heading out to see Wicked at the Apollo Theatre.  This was an 'extra' as we decided; why not try and make the most of our few days.  The show was good, and by the time we got back, we were both exhausted from being up so early, so we were both looking forward to our beds.

Day 2 - A London Walk,  Borough Market & Hamilton

After a hearty breakfast, we set off to walk to Borough Market and take in as many landmarks as we could en route.  We passed Harrods, Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Big Ben, The London Eye, the Thames walkway, Borough Market, The Shard, The Sky Garden, St. Paul's Cathedral, Chinatown and HydePark before finally arriving back at the hotel.  We were absolutely shattered, and I broke my all-time high step count record (I can't remember exactly what it was as I've since changed phone, but I think it was around 27,000 steps and about 12 miles!).

We both loved all the sights and had a blast trying lots of food and drinks at the Borough Market, so the walking was probably a good idea to burn up some of those calories.  After we got back to the hotel, we both had a little nap and before we knew it, it was time to get ready for our night out at Hamilton!  Hamilton was absolutely amazing - just wow, wow, wow!  

Day 3 - A morning walk, the Natural History Museum and then time to head home

After breakfast, we headed out for a walk around the Imperial College London campus (which was lovely) and then went to the Natural History Museum before we had to go back to the hotel to check out and make our way over to Stansted for the flight home.  Thankfully, we managed to get the trains fine, and that was our fantastic London trip.

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