What are your holiday plans?
We have a small RV (caravan) and try to get away for the weekend at least every 4 to 6 weeks. Since last winter and this spring have been heavy on the travel with me driving to help my grandfather, we are taking the summer and fall “off” from any major trips. Staying close to home (Texas) and keeping the trips short. Next spring (2023) we are planning a bigger trip somewhere outside the USA depending on travel restrictions.
We’re off shortly on a boat which we drive ourselves on the rivers of the Norfolk Broads in the UK. As I think I posted before on another thread. The fastest we go is 4mph. And we take our dog. Abit like an RV but on water. It’s incredibly tranquil but rather exciting trying to moor as invariably it goes a bit wrong.
Later in the year, we’ll be back in the Lake District in a cottage climbing mountains and walking around lakes. All of our holidays are about the great outdoors and nature and being far from the maddening crowd. All with our dog too.
At some point this year I will finally get back to Ireland too. Haven’t been given the pandemic and I’ve missed it so. There are five cousins of which I am one all born in the same year. This year we all hit 60 so we thought spending a weekend together might be a total hoot. Two of us live in Ireland, two of in England and one of us in the USA. So hopefully that will happen.
And another friend of mine in the USA wants to visit Ireland for the first time, so I’ve offered to show her around ‘my Ireland’ for a weekend.
I really hope the Ireland trips happen. I’m still close to many of my school friends and we’re due a major proper catch up too. It is glorious catching up with people who have known you since you were four years old. And there’s no pulling the wool over their eyes on just anything! 
I’m headed off with my daughter on Monday for 5 days in Surfers Paradise (our local beach resort). A nice new apartment, almost beachfront with an indoor pool and spa on a high level so it completely overlooks the ocean. I’m going to live in the spa! 
We’ll spend as much money as we can afford in the little local shops, they are still struggling so much with no overseas tourists due to the pandemic.
Then finish off with a short drive to the country and a sunset dinner in a field of sunflowers. Well we’ll see how that part goes, I think that area had more extreme rain so the sunflowers might not play the game. In addition to which there are some long-term forecasts with a cyclone developing next week. Now you see why, despite being on the beach with summer weather, I am excited about the indoor pool and spa!
PS I’m in the part of Australia that is getting repeatedly hit by floods at the moment, hence all the weather references.
Your Ireland trip sounds wonderful and I do hope that is happens. We were planning an Ireland trip pre pandemic and of course that has been delayed. We hope to visit within the next few years. I think I have read about your boat trips before. It sounds so tranquil. What breed of dog do you have?
Goodness. Your area of Australia sounds like Oklahoma and Northern Texas where I am. Lots of storms and tornados. I hope your trip goes off without a hitch. Enjoy the spa. I could use one this morning for sure! Take a picture of the sunflowers if you get the chance. I would love to see them.
A black labrador called Freddie. He turned 6 just a couple of weeks ago. And very much the centre of our lives.
Aw!!! I love labs. I can’t have one since they have that oily dog smell but I love their personalities. We used to have a Welsh corgi, Lani. She passed away last year. She was so funny!
No smell here - that I can discern at all. Same sort of smell as a corgi really…
Hmm, maybe its the deep south, always hot and humid, that gets to the dogs here. They smell so doggie! LOL. Lani did not smell but she wasn’t an exploration/outside dog. She liked being inside.
My wife and I are finally going to take an Alaska cruise in August we have wanted to do for decades. I hope I can make it without too much agony.
I have always wanted to go on an Alaskan cruise. Enjoy the heck out of it!!