Normality?…Perhaps not just yet. But here’s hoping!

What a terrible year 2020 has been. I’m sure most of us would agree with that. However, we are nearing the end of summer now and looking back it appears I’ve had quite a productive year despite the restrictions and limitations!

I mentioned in my last post that I lost my mojo for writing and it appears like I found a bunch of other hobbies instead. Well it wasn’t through a lack of having things to write about as I actually managed to get out on a fair few adventures during the pandemic! All safely within guidelines of course.

So here are a few of the things I’ve been getting up to during this summer and some of the things I’ve learnt to appreciate in 2020 too.

Getting fit!

First of all, I should point out, I’ve been here before. Back in 2018 I got super fit and certainty hit my goal of getting fit. I’ve retained some of my fitness but during lockdown I found a new appreciation for it all. I got more interested in running and other aspects like Yoga and even trampolining! I’ve had a really fun few months of discovering new home workouts and joining a new gym trying out all the classes. Trampolining fitness that I have never done before is such a fun way of exercising! I even dropped 10lbs taking me back to the weight I was at back in 2018 which i’m happy about. I’m excited to use my new found fitness to take me running around the world when i’m next away.

Eating out

All those restaurants we always say ‘we should go there sometime’… Well I finally did that! Thanks to the governments Eat out to help out scheme I was finally able to do this. Food being at a fraction of the cost really does help. I was finally able to try the Thai restaurant down the street that i’d heard was great and it did not disappoint. Those antique tea rooms we walk past every day on our dog walk, I finally got to see more than just the exterior. We ate our way around the world with different restaurants everyday. One of my favourite activities this year. After all, who doesn’t love food!
Rupyal Restaurant (Indian) > Nando’s (Portugese) > Wetherby Whaler (British) > Olive and feta (Turkish) > Bridgewater Arms (Pub grub) > No 54 Tearooms & Antiques (British) > Thai Sun (Thai)

Time with family

In some ways I am grateful to this year. Whilst it’s a strange thing to be grateful for, i’ve really appreciated the time lockdown has given me to spend with my family. Whilst I am perhaps in my eyes the unlucky one having worked the entire year with no break, no furlough, I am grateful to still have a job. My entire family and my partner have all had furlough time this year. Normally I don’t get to see them because their shifts completely clash with mine but this year has given me time to actually spend some quality time with them. One of the days I will always remember is being able to take a trip to the seaside with my sisters and boyfriend. It was an eerie place to be during a pandemic but we had a great time and it will likely be the last day trip I do with my family probably until the next pandemic! (At least I hope not)

Climbing mountains

We finally returned to Wales and at the same time finally made it to the top of Mount Snowdon! We’ve been meaning to do it for a while but last time our puppy was too young. This time she climbed to the top through the mist and wind. She didn’t look too impressed by the end! Wales is rapidly becoming our little spot to return to each season.

DIY!

Just like the majority of people stuck in their house all lockdown, it was a good time to finally do all those odd jobs we’d been meaning to do for a year. For us we took the opportunity to get some colour on our walls finally. We even spent all our cancelled holiday refunds on putting in a new driveway! Which has proven very useful. We also started playing around with the garden and by we I mean Dec did.. Haha

Driving!

Something I have literally been talking about for a decade.. I finally went there. I got a car! I started learning 9 years ago and only just got a car. It’s been a long time coming and I’m still getting used to the road but I’m so glad I have finally taken the plunge. It has taken lockdown to push me into this!

All the reading

I have lost count of how many novels i’ve read over these past few months. More than I have ever read in my life! I even discovered a ‘little library’ located just around the corner from my house! I’ve finally started reading the Sookie Stackhouse novels that I bought back in 2010! Why I didn’t start them sooner is beyond me, they are so good.

Self-care

Besides deciding I don’t care what anybody else thinks anymore, I also started taking better care of myself this summer. It started with growing my nails on the day lockdown started back in March. Since then I’ve only filed them when needed. They are 100% real and they make me feel fabulous! 😛

Turning 30

I said goodbye to my twenties! What a decade to celebrate. I am so proud of what I’ve achieved in the last 10 years all through hard work and determination. I celebrate climbing up the career ladder, landing a job in my dream field – travel, buying a house, falling in love, raising a puppy, getting fit, graduating and travelling around the world. Smashing all my goals in the process. What’s great is I also got to beat the travel bans and pandemic by jetting over to Greece to celebrate. I spent the last night of my 20s watching the sunset up a mountain on a Greek Island before heading into an active volcano on the first day of my 30s! I definitely need to blog about all this soon as it was a fab adventure. I am so grateful to have been able to get away somewhere for my birthday this year.

But perhaps the best is still to come?

Before saying goodbye to the summer i’m heading out on one last adventure. Tomorrow i’m combining my love of travel and fitness by challenging myself with a new adventure completely. I will be blogging about this all week starting this weekend so stay tuned if you want to hear more. Yesterday I popped my out of office on for 2 weeks and logged off my work computer! Plenty of free time for me to catch up and write some content for my blog. I have missed all you lovely readers and always appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment! I hope you have had a good summer too but here’s to a better winter!