Ever since we came back from France, indeed even before we went to France, we've been contemplating where to go for our next holiday. The whole idea of getting away has seemed so important because we hadn't been away for a while before & yet we'd coped with numerous deaths & a new kitchen being installed. Then when we did go away, either to near Perpignan or to Italy it hadn't proved to be the most restful of holidays, at least partly because we were just too tired to appreciate them. We'd left it too long. No, we decided, these days we need two holidays a year. It wasn't a matter of choice.
As this August we're coming up to our coral (35th) wedding anniversary, we thought that was a good excuse to get away then. When it was our pearl (30th), we'd taken the pearl as a theme & ended up in the Netherlands. There must be something we could find on the theme of coral for this year. Certainly 35 years seem worthy of celebrating.
Our first thought was the Great Barrier Reef. It's a part of Australia we've never visited. Queensland is where our friend Nesta, the reason for our other visits to Australia, had come from. It would be interesting to see some of the places she had written so often about, However, the thought of such a long flight deterred us, especially with the recession hitting our finances at the moment.
Then we floated the idea of Barbados to see the coral rag buildings,or the Maldives before they disappeared with global warming. Still we felt uninspired. Our thoughts turned to Europe. Cyprus & Coral Bay, perhaps, but we didn't fancy returning there. Somewhere in Britain, maybe, Now we thought of Brighton (neither of us have visited the Sussex coast), or the Isle of Man, just a quick ferry trip from here, but famed for its hand dived scallops. Still we couldn't be bothered.
At the end of the day we've come to the conclusion the reason we can't decided is that neither of us is really that bothered about going away. Our holiday in Provence was wonderfully relaxing. Our exhaustion had already been eased by our weekends away in Liverpool & London earlier in the year. What is more this year, for the first time in a while, we've had a reasonable summer here, at home. We feel we've felt the sun on our faces, dined out often in the garden. So we're not going away. We're not even going to think about it again until we begin to feel the need for a break. Then we will decide where.
I suppose some of our reluctance to decide on anywhere is related to not being sure of our finances. My benefits are under review, & the government keeps making statements about the need to tighten up on benefits especially Disability Living Allowance, the one I'm waiting for a decision on. I dread I will be denied my benefit immediately. Although I am confident I am entitled to them, & would get them back eventually, there may be a lean spell when a large portion of our income dries up for several months until they are re-instated & I get the back pay.
So what are we doing to celebrate? At present, our solution is a nice meal at our local Cantonese restaurant. The food is always good there. In the reception area there is a huge fish tank, with some coral in it. We can have some scallops with their coral to eat. So we can still follow the coral theme. And we will still have a special evening to celebrate.
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