A recent visit to a local garden centre which had Halloween and Christmas displays side by side got me thinking … why are we always in such a hurry to move on to the next thing? We should be enjoying events as they come round instead of merging everything together as if we might run out of time. Nothing has its own season any more, and even the weather is confusing!
Seasons seem to be getting less and less defined. When I was a child we knew to wear our pretty dresses or shorts in the summer and big woolly jumpers in the winter. Now we mix and match our clothes from day to day – we don’t have separate summer or winter wardrobes. And don’t get me started on the weather – surprise sunshine and never-ending rainstorms make it difficult to know which month we’re in.
As you read this, we’ll all be saying “It won’t be long until Christmas”, but my thoughts as I type are of a lovely break I’ve just had in Brighton. Due to health issues travelling can be difficult but my husband and I decided we deserved a break from the routine, and careful planning was all that was needed.
We couldn’t face the hassle of going abroad so the British Isles it was to be. Not a hotel – we didn’t want to be tied to mealtimes, although it is lovely to be waited on, and if I wasn’t feeling well I wanted to be able to stay in bed – or at least in my room – so self-catering was the option left for us.
Half the fun of going away is the planning. Which part of the country? A caravan, a flat or house, or maybe even glamping? Finally it was decided on the south coast for location. Online we saw a holiday apartment on the eighth floor overlooking the marina in Brighton. It jumped out, telling us we’d really enjoy a break there!
When we arrived in Brighton and walked into the apartment all I could say was, “Look at that view!” The sun shone through the very large windows, the sea was blue, and as evening fell the lights came on and we could have been in the Med. Looking back on it we had such as lovely break there, enjoying walks along the promenade and taking in the chilly but fresh sea air.
Since getting home I‘ve been inundated with adverts on TV or brochures to buy Christmas gifts – I suppose it’s time to put my thinking cap on as to who gets what for Christmas. Some people are quite easy to buy for, others need a lot more thought but the pleasure I get from choosing is enormous.
I almost always buy my cards in the January sales and hence they are already written and ready to go. And the gifts I’ve bought so far are wrapped and ready for opening on Christmas Day. But this isn’t me rushing things or wanting to get on to the next thing, this is just called being organised!