Back from Brighton

[Loopylooloo]

Just a mini trip report of my few days spent this week with friends in Brighton, we feel so privileged and lucky to have actually been able to get away together (for the record no covid rules were broken). There was myself, Jules, Wendy (we call her Wendy Lady) Alison, and Michelle - there are usually six of us, but my friend Nicci couldn’t make it this time as she is on local lockdown in Wales.

We usually go away together for a few days every year, and have been doing so for 12 years since our children were small, for a much needed mums break. We started using tesco vouchers for just 2 nights away, and over the years as the kids got older this got more and more extended, and more adventurous- a cruise to Norway, a week in Mallorca etc. I am chief planner, and this years trip was meant to be for a week to Split, Croatia, to celebrate Wendy ladys 50th birthday. Of course, this didn’t happen thanks to “Rona” First Jet2 cancelled our package holiday, so I rebooked with Easyjet, they also pulled the flights, then Croatia was added to the quarantine list, and that was that. Back to the drawing board! So, I booked an Airbnb house in Brighton, for four nights, and just hoped and prayed that nothing else would prevent us from going. I didn’t actually believe we would really make it, as the rules were getting stricter and stricter by the day but amazingly we DID! Yay! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Jules and I drove down first, to decorate the house with bunting for Wendy, we chose a Rainbow theme, which followed through in the beautiful rainbow layer cake (M&S) Weather was awful, but we set off hardly believing we were actually going! Who would have thought it... the house sleeps 10-12 people usually, so with only 5 of us was very spacious and we felt nicely spread out in bedrooms and bathrooms etc. It was in a great location just outside Brighton city centre.

When we arrived, the host met us (we all wore masks) and he showed us around, the house was perfect for a group, huge modern rooms, spotlessly clean, comfortable beds, and a lovely outdoor heated pool. (We paid a bit extra to have it heated to hot tub level)

We unpacked our three hundred bags of crisps, wine, etc put all the bunting up, and waited for Wendy and the other girls to arrive. We had put together goody bags for everyone with lots of mini hand sanitizer, choccies, mini face masks, tissues etc.

Wendy was suitably surprised and delighted when she saw all the balloons, cake and presents, and we all had a bit of an emotional moment, saying how we are so lucky to be able to be together for just a few days during this very weird time.

We stayed up until a crazy Corona acceptable 10pm, chatting and playing Cards Against Humanity, (that was eye opening!) then having filled ourselves with Prosecco, Cheese, and Chocolate we headed to bed. It was then I realised eating copius amounts of cheese and chocolate washed down with red wine before bed was not a great idea, and laid awake until way past 2am, which I never do! Oh dear.