This year I set out to enjoy exploring and living in London, while also escaping its hustle and bustle to more rural settings.
Our year started with a lovely New Year’s Day walk up Box hill, which is only an hour away from London. This was a great start to the year. Having made plans throughout January and February, such as our visit to the V&A and trip to the Lake District, I felt more energised, happy and motivated in these normally dark and depressing months. Our walk up Loughrigg Fell in the Lake District and cosy stay in the Rum Doodle back in February was one of the highlights of year.
Come spring we were enjoying and escaping the city even more. With little weekends away to the New Forrest and the Isle of Wight, and a day and night out in London to Primrose Hill and Ronnie Scott’s.
By the summer our calendar quickly filled up with several weddings, hen dos, birthday parties, etc. While these events were wonderful, I often felt overwhelmed and drained by all the cross country travelling. With our very busy diaries I felt like I couldn’t, or didn’t, make time for the plans I had lined up for the warmer months; Tooting Bec lido, wild cooking, camping, wild swimming, Columbia flower market. All things I wanted to do. At the end of the year I came across an article from adventurequeens that really resonated with me, about finding space for your adventures. This year, with an even busier calendar, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to make space by blocking out one Saturday or weekend a month.
Even though it felt like I hadn’t done as much in the summer, by writing up some of our outings it was easy and nice to reflect back to see that I had. August was a big month!
This year with weddings in Spain, Italy and Argentina, I hope to extend these trips for some adventures! Including hiking the trial of four beaches in Puglia and bagging a Munro when scouting out wedding venues in Scotland. I am also determined to reserve time for those missed summer activities from 2022, and make time for health and fitness and home projects. This year I am going to focus on the garden and creating a bijuo bedroom.
While reviewing the last 12 months, I’ve realised how much more there was to this year than is within these pages. My PhD work was published, I started a really exciting new job, did my last reactions and left the lab. I started re-decorating our home, painting and learning to wallpaper and getting our sliding doors installed. I started swimming and running, with Sarah Millican as my coach I completed the couch to 5K programme and ran my first 5K in under 30 minutes. We also got engaged and started wedding planning!
Then there were the moments captured more in our memories and less on film; dinner parties, glasses of wine in Cork of the North and Unwined, cuddles with Catto, frogs on our Lilly pads, drinking champagne and night time teas in the garden, a morning cup of tea watching frozen planet, Lahore curry nights and trips to tooting market…
I hope (I intend!) 2023 to be filled with just as many wonderful times and adventures. We certainly have a busy year ahead of us!
