It's a Jolly Holiday...
We've come to the conclusion that for us - a month's holiday is definitely beneficial.
From February to December - we work hard, our busiest time being June to September - when we work flat out, making sure holiday properties are ready for guests & owners.
Spending 3 weeks in such a lovely house, sightseeing, exploring & chilling out has been wonderfully rejuvenating & we feel like we've had a proper holiday. It's not the first time we've been away for several weeks, but it has been a number of years since we've stayed in one place for longer than 7 days... Shorter trips have often left us feeling upset about the holiday ending & knackered by the time we've arrived home! This time, we're already feeling fired up & raring to go. We're excited about what the year will bring, the changes we want to make & we are clearer about where our lives are going. We thought that we would want to be looking at property & land while here, but this area isn't for us... We're not disappointed & have just been able to enjoy our holiday instead, we're even planning our next trip, one with a difference: Mind My House.
We have decided not to continue searching for a place to live over here & are just going to get on with doing what we do for now & if something comes along - then perhaps we'll take a look. Though we are still very much drawn to the Issoire area of the Auvergne - the feeling of community, the simple living, self-sufficiency, the artisans, the beards & the wholemeal bread...
We are venturing into Spain tomorrow, hoping to reach Barcelona - though depends what time we get up! Yes, we have become incredibly lazy & it's great. I never thought we'd get back into lying in - after years of early rising kidlets, then having Nan live with us (who was up at 5am most mornings), shift work with social services & Sime's early morning work with the council... These last few months our lie-ins have been getting longer on our days off & we are loving it - It's made us realise just how tired we have been & makes us appreciate how good we feel now!
We are so glad that we have our own business, every day we feel grateful for the freedom this has given us. We live on less - amazingly, not sure how, but we do. After years of miserable work, struggling to pay a mortgage & bills, working opposite shifts in residential care, enabling one of us to be at home with the kids. Ships that passed in the night, we had to do sleep-in duties too, so rarely had proper time off together & now we're together most of the time & happier than ever! Twenty years ago, we spent 3 months travelling around France, dipping into Italy & Switzerland with our baby girls, most of that trip was spent on the Cote d' Azur, where we rented a tiny caravan, went to the beach every day & at night - by candlelight, pored over maps of the world thinking about where we would go next. We dreamt of a life on the road, staying in a variety of places - nice hotels, camping, houses & felt that our lives were meant to be that way. We thought we would be travel writers. It hasn't happened yet, but who knows? We vowed to ourselves that by the time Sime reached 50, we would be retired & travelling more. Well, funnily enough - Sime turned 50 last year & a week later, he finished his council job to concentrate on our business.
So we are moving in the right direction...
From February to December - we work hard, our busiest time being June to September - when we work flat out, making sure holiday properties are ready for guests & owners.
Spending 3 weeks in such a lovely house, sightseeing, exploring & chilling out has been wonderfully rejuvenating & we feel like we've had a proper holiday. It's not the first time we've been away for several weeks, but it has been a number of years since we've stayed in one place for longer than 7 days... Shorter trips have often left us feeling upset about the holiday ending & knackered by the time we've arrived home! This time, we're already feeling fired up & raring to go. We're excited about what the year will bring, the changes we want to make & we are clearer about where our lives are going. We thought that we would want to be looking at property & land while here, but this area isn't for us... We're not disappointed & have just been able to enjoy our holiday instead, we're even planning our next trip, one with a difference: Mind My House.
We have decided not to continue searching for a place to live over here & are just going to get on with doing what we do for now & if something comes along - then perhaps we'll take a look. Though we are still very much drawn to the Issoire area of the Auvergne - the feeling of community, the simple living, self-sufficiency, the artisans, the beards & the wholemeal bread...
We are venturing into Spain tomorrow, hoping to reach Barcelona - though depends what time we get up! Yes, we have become incredibly lazy & it's great. I never thought we'd get back into lying in - after years of early rising kidlets, then having Nan live with us (who was up at 5am most mornings), shift work with social services & Sime's early morning work with the council... These last few months our lie-ins have been getting longer on our days off & we are loving it - It's made us realise just how tired we have been & makes us appreciate how good we feel now!
We are so glad that we have our own business, every day we feel grateful for the freedom this has given us. We live on less - amazingly, not sure how, but we do. After years of miserable work, struggling to pay a mortgage & bills, working opposite shifts in residential care, enabling one of us to be at home with the kids. Ships that passed in the night, we had to do sleep-in duties too, so rarely had proper time off together & now we're together most of the time & happier than ever! Twenty years ago, we spent 3 months travelling around France, dipping into Italy & Switzerland with our baby girls, most of that trip was spent on the Cote d' Azur, where we rented a tiny caravan, went to the beach every day & at night - by candlelight, pored over maps of the world thinking about where we would go next. We dreamt of a life on the road, staying in a variety of places - nice hotels, camping, houses & felt that our lives were meant to be that way. We thought we would be travel writers. It hasn't happened yet, but who knows? We vowed to ourselves that by the time Sime reached 50, we would be retired & travelling more. Well, funnily enough - Sime turned 50 last year & a week later, he finished his council job to concentrate on our business.
So we are moving in the right direction...
Kay :)
I'm so glad you've enjoyed your holiday in France. I've certainly enjoyed reading all about it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young we used to go on an annual month's holiday. It was marvellous. Since then, with the exception of a couple of extended inter-rail trips, I've not be away for any longer than a fortnight. So I've been very envious of your three weeks in France. Although from what you say about your work, is sounds as if it is very well deserved.
Lovely uplifting post :) and the pic at the end is fab.
ReplyDelete