WEEKLY BLOG EPISODE 74 | HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!

Another mid-week weekly blog. I think I might have let my schedule get a bit wonky. Hopefully you don’t mind too much, you certainly don’t seem to complain, and I even had one friend tell me they prefer it, so I’ll assume all is well…

But anyway, how has your week been? Have you been enjoying the sunshine? Getting out and about? Eating all the summery foods? Sitting with your feet in iced water to cool off? I love the sun, the heat, except the having to sleep in it bit… we’re just not wet up for warm nights here in the UK, with no air conditioning in our homes, but at least I have a ceiling fan in the bedroom which helps a little bit. Still, at least it’s not the abysmal weather we had in May!

This last weekend we headed home to Lincolnshire to spend time with family. The main reason was to surprise my Mum for her 70th birthday – we booked a Spa Day for the Saturday and organised a family barbecue for the Sunday, which seemed to go down very well indeed. It was so good to see them after so many months of being forced to stay away, and it’s always nice to see the big skies of Lincolnshire again.

Spa Day

Are you a spa lover? Do you take to the relaxing waters regularly? Get deep back massages to help you unwind at every opportunity?

I spent Saturday at Eden Hall day spa in Nottinghamshire, enjoying a few of the finer things in life. My sister, my mum and I made the most of the facilities, and food, and thoroughly enjoyed being more than a little bit spoilt for a few hours.

I’m certainly not a regular spa goer, but the day was just wonderful. A combination of spending quality time with my mum and sister, the gorgeous weather meaning we could spend lots of time outside, an opportunity to both be active and relax, and some fantastic food all helped. I didn’t have any treatments, but very much appreciated the few hours of luxury.

I reckon my favourite parts of the day were sitting in the herbal steam room within the thermal spa suite, the carrot and ginger juice I drank in the morning, the salmon fishcake I had for my starter at lunch, and the opportunity to sit outside on a sun lounger and read an actual book for a while (that’s right, a real book – the Impulsive Explorer by Karen Espley).

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Sunday Morning Walk

I know Lincolnshire isn’t known for its big hikes, but I love walking in the county of Fens and Wolds. I’ve got a few posts on here singing the virtues of walking in this part of the country, and I honestly think anyone who enjoys exploring on foot should make an effort to walk in Lincolnshire – the landscapes might not be tall, or difficult, but what they might lack in height they gain in vastness, especially in the sky.

On Sunday morning we did a short walk before the sun got too hot in the Wyberton area of Boston, around an area known as the Sir Joseph Banks Country Park. This incorporates a small established woodland called Westgate Wood along with much younger Jenny’s Wood and Oak Wood.

This is somewhere we’ve walked a number of times before, but it’s always good to wander through the trees and across the large wildflower meadow. The last time we were here it was Christmas – it was freezing and the ground was very waterlogged. What a difference the sunshine makes!

And having returned back home, I’ve now discovered there is an orienteering course marked out in the park, so next time we visit we’ll be doing that!

The Best Sausages

We were very grateful indeed that the weather was so good this weekend, as we had a family barbecue on Sunday afternoon. We have a nice barbecue at home, but I’m afraid it rarely gets used, I just can’t bring myself to light it (and then clean up afterwards) for just two of us. So we don’t bother. It was therefore very nice indeed to meet up with family for an outdoors feast.  

If you are a meat eater, I highly recommend Boston Sausage the next time you’re catering for a barbecue, they have the best Lincolnshire sausages in the country without a doubt. We love our local butcher here in Gloucestershire, but I’m afraid we still get our sausages from Mountain’s! I also love their chilli bombs, which are only available in store – so good!

THAT Announcement

I feel I should at least acknowledge the fact that current restrictions have been extended by another four weeks here in England, and how I think that sucks more than a little bit.

As I’ve said before in my weekly blogs, I do completely understand the reasons behind the rules and regulations we’re living with at the moment, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about them.

I just hope the good weather continues (written as a weather warning for thunderstorms kicks in…) so we can all still make the most of the next month or so while we’re in this strange outside is best life. I mean, the outside is best all the time when the weather is decent enough, but I am looking forward to there being a bit more choice and freedom.

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Between now and the new date for reopening I’ve got a bunch of stuff booked that I’m excited for, including a camping trip to Devon, a hen do in the woods (which has been altered as the original plans were no longer permitted), and some more off road motorcycle training. And we’re still enjoying working our way around all the restaurants in Cheltenham and Gloucester… if you’ve got any must-eat suggestions in this area please do let me know!

Next Time…

For my next weekly blog, episode 75, I’m going to do a Q&A. I’m not afraid to admit this is partly to help me get back on track with publishing on a Sunday, because I do prefer weekend writing, but it’s also because I enjoy both reading and writing them. Of course that means I need your questions… Got something you want to know about me? Ask… The comments below are open, or you can drop me a line over on Instagram.

See you next time!

As always, I would really love to hear from you in the comments below. What have been the highlights of your week? Let me know what your favourite thing about the last seven days has been. And don’t forget to get your One Hour Outside today… whatever day you happen to be reading this on!

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