So...
😥Our Scandinavian caravan tour is cancelled.
😢Our motorhome tour of China is cancelled
😢We can't go to Nerja; infection rates are going up.
😞Our coastal tour is problematic because of Covid and the caravan sites we need are all booked with staycationers.
OK, lets move house; it's a kind of travelling, after all, it's just a bit more permanent and dear Rishi has driven the housing market into a frenzy with his stamp duty holiday. LET'S DO IT.
A big decision
We resolved to consider the big decision of downsizing at the next big birthday (which is just around the corner) but COVID lock-downs, quarantining plus the house purchase stamp duty holiday presents the opportunity to do so without sacrificing a major travelling trip or so. We want somewhere a little more manageable, within striking distance of London and family and within walking distance of a vibrant cafe culture street: looks like here, then.
This decision is not without anguish; our current home has been extended and designed by us to some extent and has been a wonderful family home for some 22 years - but now it's time to move. It's oddly exciting to house-hunt again, although the chances of joining all this up to get the kind of house we want in the location we want feels a little remote at times. Time will tell.
Venturing out again
We've had a couple of trips out; how exciting is that, these days!
Our youngest daughter treated us to a trip around Kew Gardens for our birthdays. We drove, parked easily and met her and boyfriend complete with picnic gear: a wonderful day.
A nostalgic trip to Clacton and Jaywick was fun with our middle daughter; nostalgic because I lived in Jaywick as a student, taking my physics degree at Essex University in the late sixties; don't ask! Jaywick is listed as one of the most deprived areas in the country and little had changed since my period of residence - which is quite amazing if you think about it.
Beach is still great though.
An enjoyable and fascinating day out with friends at the Henry Moore sculpture park and gardens distracted us from the stresses of house selling and buying. Highly recommended if you like sculpture. Picnic again!
Enough!
Let's escape to Herne Bay in the 'van; it's coastal tour time.
