The title might be a slight misnomer (ok, exaggeration) but we have continued to expand our horizons with two further trips in the last ten days or so. On the Wednesday we decided, somewhat on a whim, to visit the market town of Diss for probably only the third time since 1995!
Travel
Steady As She Goes…
Slowly but surely….as lockdown tentatively releases its grip (hopefully) we ventured a little futher afield and took a week’s break in peak district Derbyshire in Ashover, where we were joined for the first weekend by Mrs. No Name’s son and girlfriend SJ & G. The cottage was lovely and large, so we could adapt to the limiting circumstances, although we at least are now fully vaccinated.
Bircham Break
So, this was the big one as we painstakingly reintegrate ourselves into the ‘normal world’. Well, not really but it was our first foray into paid for accommodation, which we eased back into with a return to a lovely hotel that we had first visited in more placid terms around two years ago – The Kings Head Country Hotel at Great Bircham in Norfolk.
Cat Sitting
This was the next in the new environment….armed with masks and gel, we made the 307 mile journey up to Sunderland to cat sit to allow Scott a well earned week away. The journey up went remarkably smoothly, helped by a picnic lovingly prepared by yours truly. Managed to catch up with Scott and Gilli before their next day departure and then eight days of us and the cats. It should be said at this point that Mrs. No Name admirably handled virtually all of the domestic cat duties throughout the stay, including a transformed but still tetchy Bingo, who although generally much more placid still managed to showcase disdain and distaste for her nightly medication.
Audley End
After the experiment that was Covehithe, yesterday was the next enticing stage in the new normal, a trip to Audley End and to a meeting with friends. Audley was a compromise as it was equidistant for both and had the very real added advantage of being open!
Covehithe, the ‘Lockdown’ Mystery
Well hello, it’s been a while 🙂 . I did consider a review of an undoubtedly extraordinary period defined by coronavirus but determined that on the whole, as we were in the fortunate category, I would leave it to those whose livelihood was directly affected, had no direct access to outside space and who were considerably impacted by lockdown, economically, socially and in terms of the potential impact on their mental / physical health. Far better hearing from those more directly affected, who are far better placed than I to comment.
So, here instead is our first step back into the (new) normal.
Great Hallingbury
Another two nighter, this time to see friends we first met on our second ever cruise on the Jewel of the Seas in 2007. We stayed at the Great Hallingbury Manor, which proved to be roughly equidistant from our respective abodes. There were two negatives, neither to do with the hotel. The first was the diversion, which added 10 minutes to the journey (and 30 minutes if you end up visiting the M11 in error :-). The second was the flight path. No matter which way you cut it, the hotel is directly (that’s directly) under the Stansted flight path…
Another Milsoms
A midweek overnighter at a Milsoms hotel, this time with friends in Dedham. On the first day we had a pleasant afternoon in Dedham itself, prior to the evening meal in the hotel. The following morning, a leisurely breakfast was followed by a morning coffee in the lounge (a liqueur coffee in my case!!) and then a return trip to Flatford. The hotel itself was …
Christmas and more
Just back from a lovely Christmas break at Scott’s, blessed with good company and relatively placid weather. On the way up to the North East we had a stopover at the Belton Woods Hotel, which was a significant improvement over our last visit. No Downtown bargain purchases though!
Liverpool in Five
The end of a fairly busy few weeks just finished with a five night break in Liverpool in what proved to be the excellent Pullman Hotel near the Albert Docks. We weren’t blessed with an abundance of good weather but that was about the only item lacking on what was an otherwise excellent break…
Silversea Sojourn
Finally, a decent longer term break to recount. This one aboard the Silversea Silver Wind, boarded at Reykjavik after a flight and two night break there, followed by a cruise around both the islands and mainland of Canada. Well, it should have been, but the first two ports were, quite understandably, never visited because of what some might describe as ‘interesting’ weather conditions.
Essex and Beyond…
Well, just Essex to be honest. Mrs. No Name organised this Monday overnight stay to support her assertion that she contributes to organising and booking these breaks as proof that she takes responsibility at least once every three years or so :-). Gratifyingly for her in particular, this one proved to be particularly satisfactory…..