My mate was absolutely right! That very day at the Prince of Wales (Wimbledon’s finest pub) marked a year after our return from Porto Pollensa in sunny Mallorca.
I remembered the day well. That was one summer break I really enjoyed- the sunshine, sea and a great hotel provided the perfect antidote to the grindingly dull job hunting process I was caught up in at the time, and since the only things I had going for me on coming back was more of the same, scrapping my car and dealing with Department of Social Security, I was not a happy bunny when we headed into the Wimbledon branch of Burger King after making our way from the airport.
Whilst not exactly a milestone, I was surprised at just how quickly time is passing, and what’s more, it got me thinking about what to do about a holiday this year. Even though times are better as I am now working, it looks as if a trip abroad is off the cards – as well as the expense, there is no one I know who can make a trip to foreign climbs to go with.
So what to do then? I have quite a few holiday days to use up, and one plan, which is the most cost effective, is to book a week’s leave and spend it at home doing the things I enjoy – going to the cinema, doing a bit of walking in places like Richmond Park and the South Bank, eating out and keeping up with my squash are all activities which are easily achievable, but they would need to be organised into an itinerary to make it work.
Another option is to go somewhere in the UK for a break, and with this in mind I have been running through a few ideas.
One is to spend a couple of days in Oxford, where I spent some quality time at a university just outside of the main town. I haven’t been back in over twenty years, so returning to re- discover my old stamping grounds sounds like a very interesting proposition indeed, though I imagine all my old haunts (if they are still there!) have changed beyond recognition.
Another plan is to spend a few days in the South West of England – as a child I had a few gloriously sunny family holidays in places like Cornwall and Devon, and the memories of fish and chip suppers and white, sandy beaches are quite persuasive. It has also been more years than I care to remember when I last had a UK break. One slight issue highlighted in another pub chat with a friend from squash was that price-wise, a holiday in the UK would probably be just as expensive as holidaying abroad.
So, as you can tell, I have a bit of food for thought. For the moment at least, time is on my side to reach a decision.
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