I was reading another Blogger’s post today about her and her husband’s trip to Hawaii recently. She shares the same attitude that I do, that now is the time to be making trips away and doing activities that may not be possible in the future at some point. Some may say that focussing on a future where mobility might be an issue could be seen as negative. I see it as a positive thing, acknowledging the reality and finding ways to do what we can do in the here and now and not wasting any time that we have available to us.
My husband and I are going to the UK for nine weeks in May and June this year. We are so looking forward to it. A combination of time on our own, time with extended family and time with some good friends. One of the things we are planning is a canal boat trip up the Lancaster Canal, one of the few canals that do not have locks. As I have said to my husband, “I am ridiculously excited about the canal trip in particular.” It is so quintessentially British having a boating holiday on a canal and I can’t wait.
We are also going to be walking in the Yorkshire Moors and Dales and staying in a lovely place called Goathland. If any of you have seen “Heartbeat” a police programme set in the 50’s and 60’s, Goathland is the village they used for the show. There are various things in the village, like a panda car parked in the main street that was used in the programmes. It is fun to visit and see in person the village that the programme was filmed in.
We will have a stopover in Singapore for two nights on the way to England and three nights on the way back. We love Singapore and have a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown that we love and that we go to every time we are in Singapore. There has been quite a gap in between visits, however, due to COVID. Not that we go every year or anything, but maybe usually every 4-5 years.
It will be so good to catch up with the UK family and to be back in England again. We will also take in some of Scotland and see a good friend of Ade’s from way back. Hoping to go to Wales for a quick visit as well.
This may be our last independent trip to the UK. It may be that in 4-5 years with age and possible deterioration of my condition, we might have to compromise and sign up for an ‘oldies’ bus tour of Europe. It’s all about still finding ways to travel, but in a supported way.
Starting to count down now and even planning what to take.
2023 is going to be an awesome year!
My journey with Parkinsons 
Sounds like a brilliant trip! I love the narrow boats. Also have visited Singapore on many occasions, including an exchange. One of our favourite places.
Excellent attitude to make hay while the sun shines…even if we didn’t have Parkinson’s, the future isn’t guaranteed for anyone.
Grab everything opportunity. ☺️
I’m a bit concerned about Covid still, a lot of my friends feel that they caught it at the airport, in the queue with no social distancing and few mask wearers.
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Hi Rebecca. I guess that COVID is going to be around forever pretty much! We will probably wear masks at the aiport and when we move around the plane, but not in our seats. It is not possible to completely remove the element of risk when travelling, so all we can do is be as careful as we can, but not deny ourselves the joy and adventure of this trip!
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Sounds fantastic. I’m sure you’ll have a brilliant time.😀
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Yes, it is going to be a wonderful trip, I’m sure. So lovely to see our UK family. It seems like ages since we’ve seen them all.
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Enjoy your trip Sue. It sounds gloriously soul-filling.
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We are so looking forward to it. I always feel at home in England, must be my English blood coming out. Will be so nice to catch up with Ade’s family too.
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