What have I been up to? Here’s the scoop on my life lately and why you haven’t heard from me in a while.
In early August we set off for another planned two month visit to the UK.
We’d returned to the US in April after an 8 month stay in the UK, just as England was springing into warmer sunnier weather! I didn’t want to leave to be honest. Not with the spring flowers and trees popping out. After living through the Beast from the East (a blast of arctic air that brought the UK to its knees in March) and a wet and chilly winter, the glorious British spring was tempting me to stay longer.
But come back we must, as we’d decided to move house from one side of CO to the other. Packing, house hunting, home staging and moving was in the cards! By mid May, the new home was officially ours and by late June, the movers had come and gone. Amidst all the chaos and uncertainty of closing dates, I was anxiously trying to plan a visit back to the UK in time for at least a peek of summer.
Rumors of an unprecedented hot spell had me envisioning swanning about in floaty dresses, sipping chilled glasses of Prosecco!
Trying to take a selfie with my phone on the top of St Michaels Mount. Cornwall is stunning.
The reality? I think we arrived the day after the heat wave collapsed. Instead of soaking up the British summer sunshine, we found ourselves shivering in 60 degree temps. It felt more like autumn than late summer. Ah well. That’s the tricky part of planning and packing for a visit to my favorite island! I ended up wearing not only the new pair of comfy NAOT sandals I brought AND my trusty down vest (not in the same outfit ha ha).
Weather aside, it was a glorious two months of travel; from Cornwall’s stunning rugged coastlines to Kent’s bounty of yummy local seafood, Brighton’s full on people parade and Scotland’s heavenly hills and lochs. All without a single rental car.
Traveling in Europe is easy with public transportation to get you anywhere you fancy.
Do you miss out on some little out of the way villages and beaches? Naturellement. However you also miss out on all the jiggery pokery of driving on the wrong side of the road whilst reading the GPS or map and worrying constantly about where to park.
I highly recommend train travel. This was our third trip from London to Edinburgh by train and you couldn’t drive there any quicker. Being able to sit back, enjoy the countryside and feel like a local makes it a no brainer choice for me.
My belief is it’s good for my over 50 brain to work out train schedules. Call it travel Sudoko. We’ve learned how to speed walk from one station in London to another during rush hour traffic with suitcases. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it keeps you on your mental toes!
The last time I was at the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno, I was 17. Imagine a working theatre with the Atlantic Ocean as backdrop!
The tricky bit of traveling and being a writer is wanting to experience travel fully while you’re doing it. I toyed with the idea of blogging about my trip but quite frankly I just wanted to be in the moment. I did try to post my trip photos on Instagram so take a lookie.
It takes a full day to travel from London back to Colorado but it feels like I’ve lost more than 7 hours.
The mental shift after spending two months 5000 miles away makes me feel a little whacked out. Could be just jet lag, but I think it’s more than that. As a woman, coming back to the confirmation of the new Supreme Court judge feels very discouraging. Do other countries have their share of despised or mocked politicians? Of course, but I’ve never felt this disconnected with Washington before.
While I was traveling I also let myself mentally log out of Hip Over Fifty to gain some new perspective. Although I’ve really enjoyed sharing my thoughts on mindset, love, personal growth and travel with you, something is missing. After a little over a year, I’m not sure if this is the helpful resource I set out to create and if it’s sustainable for the long run.
To be honest, some days this die hard introvert doesn’t feel comfortable putting myself out there. Maybe you’re more comfortable on social media than I am.
On the top of Calton Hill in Edinburgh. One of my favorite cities. So much history. I’m trying out the big scarf look and a new beret.
The conclusion I’ve come to is this.
I need to dig a little deeper to find the best way I can show up here. How can I help in a way that feels natural and comfortable to me and helpful to you? Do I need to step outside my comfort zone and from behind my blog?
I’ve contemplated the idea of creating a travel group for women over 50 who want to travel with other happy positive women. Would a regular social group or gathering be the answer to the loneliness that can plague even the most balanced lady? What about a boogie like you mean it, shake and wake your consciousness and shimmy off the pounds class?
The one thing I know for sure is we all want real connection. Not just likes or “friends” but that in person, look you in the eye type of connecting. I’m working on it.
Churning out blog posts to conform to some algorithm or business goal? It’s not me. Our time is valuable right? So let me put my head into this. I’d LOVE it if you shared your thoughts on what struggles you have, what’s important to you. Because otherwise it’s me churning out what’s in my head!
What does hip over fifty stand for and how will it grow? I’ll let you know when I’ve got it figured out!
That’s it for now lovey. Remember I’d love to hear your thoughts as always x
