Jolly Holiday
I’ve recently taken a break from writing on here, a little Substack summer holiday. But now I'm back!
I’d felt like I had written everything that needed to come out of me and so having a break by the sea seemed the perfect time to stop and reflect. I’m so proud of my published pieces but my mind felt like a blank slate and I needed to take a moment.
Having a moment of calm and change of scenery lead me to write lots of little notes. It’s amazing when you sometimes hit a creative wall what a pause can do. It seems to refill the mind and body with creative energy.
I thought about making them each a piece of writing, but then I realised they seemed to fit nicely together and reflect all the thoughts and experiences I was going through.
So here are they are, my pieces don’t follow a pattern but each represents a day or what the day’s experiences lead me to write. I recognised a lot of them happen to revolve around eating… maybe we need to be full in order to create?
Eating the ice cream
Sometimes you need a little pick me up in life and ice cream seems to be the best remedy.
Today I had a lovely homemade scoop of passion fruit and mango ice cream.
I sat watching the world go by, eating my delicious ice cream taking in the scenery whilst the wind whipped through the valley.
I always feel that when it is really windy change is coming. The weather is ready to move onto a new system and I feel like a new chapter is about to unfold.
Watching the sun set
The beautiful burnt orange ball of light slowly disappearing beyond the horizon, the glow on the sea slowly fading away. The day is done and sleep awaits.
Horses
A little group of horses are living in the field behind my bedroom and I can hear them during the night. A slight shift in their movements or a slight noise carries through my open window. It’s quite calming knowing they are there. A quiet presence that never seems to be stressed or loud. The occasional neigh can be heard but it seems oddly reassuring.
The steps
I visited a beautiful house that was once owned by a very wealthy family. It was isolated in a valley in the Cornwall countryside, an oasis completely cut off from the outside world.
It was amazing to think how one family created a whole world that very few saw until they gave it to the National Trust.
I took a deep breath on top of a hill on the estate after a long climb up, I looked back down to the house and felt completely free. The views were spectacular and the atmosphere was one of peace and happiness.
Sandwich by the sea
I was eating a sandwich on the beach, a greedy seagull was keeping a beady eye on any chance to snatch a slice. A gust of wind blew sand over me and the next bite had a distinctly gritty texture to it.
Eating sandwiches and crisps by the sea changed an ordinary cheese sandwich into something extraordinary (bar the added extra of sand)
Snails
There are some snails that like to scale the outside walls of the house I am staying at. I am not sure of the reason why or how they decided that sliding vertically up a wall was a good idea. Their trails glisten in the sunlight, a web of crisscrossing lines. Maybe they too fancied a change of scenery or maybe they just like to wander aimlessly, no clear idea of why they are scaling the wall but maybe they will know when they reach their final destination.
Rainy beach day
A visit to the beach in the light rain was refreshing and magical. Little droplets of water gathered on my sunglasses. The surf was wild and foamy and the seagulls scattered with a squawk when the lifeguard vehicle drove along the sand.
Standing on the balcony, breathing in the fresh Cornish air
The week has nearly finished and back to reality soon. It’s been a relaxing and a resting in the moment kind of time. The outside world and real life has been on the back burner and it’s been rather lovely. I feel powered up, having some space and time has been really energising.
I always feel completely relaxed on the last day, the first few days always take time to bed in and now I am starting to pack my suitcase and wonder what life will be like back in the real world.
The journey home
And so the journey home has began, sitting in the car leaving the peace and tranquility behind. Looking at the sat nav and praying to the road gods that the estimated time of arrival doesn’t creep up too much. The slight apprehension of rejoining the real world and seeing how many emails you have (keeping fingers crossed that it’s not that many)
Feeling refreshed but also strangely tired - the ultimate mix of a good holiday.
How you you feel after a break or a holiday? Does it refresh you? Do you feel ready to face the world again? Is there anywhere you love to go and visit? I would love to know :)
