The Big Adventure

Sayschezza

Received our refund cheque from PandO today. Very pleased.

Karmacat

What a lovely post, Goldie, I'm glad you're safe and well and still enjoying what you've got.  Like you, I'm happy with Fred Olsen - I squeezed in that Canaries cruise, so there's no refund involved for me, but I know their ships are anchored up in Scotland, with only a skeleton crew, and they flew their crews home in the first fortnight after our lockdown.  I've just received refunds from the caravan holiday we had booked, so thats all done and dusted now. 

And I agree, I'm not heading out anywhere just yet, lots of second waves are poking their heads up above the parapets, I'm just walking and working on the garden and looking after myself.

All the best for now.

Goldiegirl

Hello everyone.
I'm just dusting off my diary, as it's coming up to that time of year as we review  the events of the previous year and think about plans for next year.

It's safe to say that it's not the year any of us were expecting, and it's slightly mindboggling to think that this time last year we had no clue all this was going to happen.

I'm personally healthy and well. However, the current situation is a downer. I live in one of the most badly affected areas of the country, and our infection rate is very high. As a result, apart from doing a daily walk when weather permits I'm barely going anywhere, apart from exciting things like having a flu jab.
The life I had this time last year is beginning to feel quite distant, and the longer all this goes on for, I start to wonder if I'll ever be able to reclaim my old life.  As a result, I mainly live in the moment, and try not to dwell too much on the future, as there's nothing much I can do.

The year has gone quickly for me, and I can't believe that we are only 10 days from Christmas Day.
I will be back in the coming days with various notes from the year. 

Karmacat

Looking forward to reading your updates, Goldie.  I know what you mean about this last year - very strange, isn't it.   I really hope you *can* reclaim your old life - that's certainly what I intend to do, just as soon as I can.  I'm not great at living in the moment as much as I should - that's a good way of looking at it.
See you again soon  

Fortune_Smiles

Lovely to 'see' you Goldie.  Yes, what a year it has been.  I still feel as though I'm living in a movie and not in the real world at all.  We too are just putting one foot in front of the other and not looking too far ahead.  These restrictions have made me reconsider what I do with my time and there are some things I'll do, do differently or not do at all when we're in the new normal.  My revised goals for 2020 were to just get through the year with our physical, mental and financial health intact.  This too will pass and you may not go back to your old life but you'll build a new one that's equally as satisfying and filled with joy as the old.  Hang on in there.

Fortune x

Goldiegirl

Karmacat said:

Looking forward to reading your updates, Goldie.  I know what you mean about this last year - very strange, isn't it.   I really hope you *can* reclaim your old life - that's certainly what I intend to do, just as soon as I can.  I'm not great at living in the moment as much as I should - that's a good way of looking at it.
See you again soon  

I've been trying not to listen to too much news, as it overloads my brain. It would be bad enough with the pandemic, but there's the other thing that's happening at the end of the month.  If it's a heavy news day, I find I can't sleep because my mind is still processing information.
Along with that, and not thinking too much about the future (difficult for me, as I'm a planner by nature), it keeps me going from day to day, and just try and enjoy what I'm doing now, this minute - instead of booking activities for next year. 

Goldiegirl

Fortune_Smiles said:

Lovely to 'see' you Goldie.  Yes, what a year it has been.  I still feel as though I'm living in a movie and not in the real world at all.  We too are just putting one foot in front of the other and not looking too far ahead.  These restrictions have made me reconsider what I do with my time and there are some things I'll do, do differently or not do at all when we're in the new normal.  My revised goals for 2020 were to just get through the year with our physical, mental and financial health intact.  This too will pass and you may not go back to your old life but you'll build a new one that's equally as satisfying and filled with joy as the old.  Hang on in there.

Fortune x

Yes, I think it's important not to be too hard on ourselves and  to adjust to the current  circumstances.  
When we eventually emerge from the pandemic, I think a lot of people will be changed by what we have experienced. It's one of those century defining events, and nothing will be exactly the same again.  
I'm lucky that I'm at a stage in my life where I can put my head down and let the storm pass, but I do feel for everyone who is trying to make a living in these uncertain times and all the people at school, college and university.  

At least the weather has been a bit better here for the last couple of days. I find that a daily walk is the best way to keep my head clear, even if it's just a quick turn around the block.

 


 

Karmacat

Lovely posts from both of you, thanks for those.

Goldiegirl

I hope everybody had the best Christmas they could under the circumstances.  As it's always just the two of us for Christmas, it didn't make any difference to us, and I found that I've been able to switch off (somewhat) from the outside world for just a few days. 
Since I last posted on 15th December, it has been announced that there is a new variant of the virus which is more infectious.  At least this helps me understand why infections in my area started going mad in lockdown in mid November, and have been going up ever since. We were the worst in the country for a while, although parts of Essex are now even worse than us.  We are now in Tier 4, and will probably be here for the forseeable future. At the moment it's difficult to get a picture of what's going on as there's a lag on some of the data over Christmas, but I hope tier 4 is enough to turn the tide....... not confident about this.

Anyway, on with the review of 2020......

Karmacat

Tier 4 here too, Goldie.  And yes, the lag in the data means we need to keep an eye on the amended data to get any kind of realistic pic of what's local - I'm on the county council email list, which is useful.
Looking forward to your review