Cheery's path to fulfilment - finishing the DIY, looking after myself, appreciating the garden 🌻

Cheery_Daff

I imagine it depends where you stay @Greying_Pilgrim - the place i was looking at was just multiplying them and not giving any discount for a longer stay. Other places were just listing a price for the fortnight (in which case it probably was cheaper for a longer stay). Either way, they're all very expensive! 

And yes, we struggle with the same issue with smaller places! 

Anyway, we are now investigating caravan holiday parks, much like both of us went on as children 😁 Some of those are pretty darn expensive too mind you, but it does seem to be possible to find something cheaper if you're prepared to go basic (which we would be if it was actually cheap).

But thoughts of holiday will have to wait - it's the end of the year and there are things to do first! The first one being to get outside in my dressing gown and take a picture of the glorious sunrise that seems to be streaming through the curtains 😁

Jellytotts

We do the holiday park 4 night stays out of season that are around £50/70 for the duration.  We can cope with that for a break away. The vans are normally spotlessly clean if a little tired but comfy beds and a clean kitchen is all I’m looking for, the rest of the time we are out exploring.

 As for Orkney, we’ve been costing it up as we have family there but my goodness the ferry is expensive as it is before you get into the accommodation side of things.   

Cheery_Daff

Out of season sounds like a good plan if possible! 

The last few times we went to Orkney we went on the catamaran - it's a shorter crossing, not quite so picturesque (and lands you in St Margaret's Hope rather than Stromness) but I remember it being cheaper than the ferry. Catamaran was £93 each way (for us 2 plus car) when I looked the other day, I didn't check ferry cost though.

themadvix

Another vote for off season caravan holidays being very cheap indeed. And we've been lucky to get a brand new caravan (going the first week they open in March - maybe not for Orkney - and effectively you're their guinea pigs!). Am desperate to get something in the diary, but with Mr MV starting a new job with more travel involved and we've got to finish the teardrop trailer, we're holding off for now.

Cheery_Daff

Sounds sensible to wait for now @themadvix

Happy New Year MSE chums! 🥳 I hope you all had a suitable evening yesterday, and a restful/energetic day today, as is your preference 😁

We had a relatively uneventful trip to Mr C Snr yesterday, then went to our friends' housewarming, which was very lovely indeed 😊 They're on a hill, in a city, so a lovely view of fireworks from the garden. I'd taken booze but ended up not drinking it - made it to bed about 1.45, considerably earlier than everyone else 😂 

Also got up before everyone else 😂 did my yoga in their living room 😊 and then had a cuppa and sat with my notebook til the others got up, and we had a long leisurely brunch and a nice chat. Mr C and I got in our first cafe trip of 2026 on the way home.

A pottering evening for me. Sorted out my seed box - all flower seeds are going to be mixed together and scattered around, out of date salads have been mixed together for microgreens, and everything else more than 3 months old has gone in the compost. Feels like a waste, but it would be literally impossible to plant everything (i still have plenty!) and all the gardeners I know are in a similar predicament, and nobody needs unreliable out of date seeds, least of all me - the flakiest of gardeners at the best of times. So there we are. 

Made another batch of shortbread for my dad. Wrapped some presents, and found the missing three, which had fallen down the back of a drawer 🙄 need to wrap them now too! Decanted the final lot of damson gin - it's been infusing for over 2 years so is quite potent! 😱 One jar has gone down the sink - must have got air in as it's not the same colour as the rest and just smells off. The rest is a lovely burgundy though and has been bottled for gifts (and for me 🤭)

Heading towards bed now. I might have gone up earlier than everyone else, but they were singing vigorously until about 3am so I didn't get much sleep 😂 Off to do my second family visit tomorrow, weather permitting... 😬

Baileys_Babe

Happy New Year, I hope plans for 2026 come to fruition @Cheery_Daff

peb

We stayed Sunday to Saturday, but I suspect it worked out cheaper as we had several people in each apartment.  

We flew, one friend is a school teacher and we had no time to drive (I'm West Yorkshire).  

It wasn't a cheap holiday but we all really enjoyed it.