Just me, spilling the real stuff. Married life, soft living rules, big dreams, stormy days, and the chaos in between. Sometimes deep, sometimes ridiculous—always honest.
Britain’s gone bat shit crazy. Everywhere you look, there’s a flag flapping halfway down a lamppost like someone with T-Rex arms tried to hang it after three pints of Stella and a fight with their lass. Roundabouts painted like a toddler’s been caught red handed with the ketchup. And there is always someone in a Union Jack cape shouting about “taking our country back,” like it’s a bike that got nicked outside Iceland in Whale Hill.
Yesterday we arrived back home after six nights away. Since we couldn’t fly while Ian is still recovering from his ruptured Achilles, we decided to embrace the opportunity for a UK road trip — and it turned out to be exactly what we needed.
We started our journey in Chipping Norton, on the edge of the Cotswolds, spending our first night at Heythrop Park Hotel. From there, we travelled further southwest into Somerset, where we stayed for four nights in a beautiful lodge with our own private hot tub. Our final stop was Lincoln, a gentle pause on the way back to our Teesside home.
The whole honeymoon was blissful. We soaked up each other’s company, good food, cider, champagne, warm evenings in the hot tub — and, of course, plenty of intimacy that deepened our connection as husband and wife just that little bit more.
We laughed. We put the world to rights. We talked about the future — our hopes, our dreams, and even some of the things that scare us. Although we’d holidayed together before, this was the longest we’d been away since moving in together around 21 months ago. We knew we needed to leave everything behind — the kids, the dog, the house, work, and everyone else's expectations — and just be. Be together, in the moment, with nothing pulling us in opposite directions.
And with that stillness came reflection.
After all the planning, the lists, the laughter, the tears, and the beautiful chaos of the wedding, it’s finally time to pause. At the end of next week we are off on our honeymoon in Somerset, and I am so ready for it!
There’s something about visiting Somerset that feels to me like it's going to be the deep exhale we both desperately need. The rolling green hills, the sleepy lanes and hidden pubs with low beams and open fires (although hopefully we won't be needing to see one actually lit!). I am of course super excited for the witchy shopping trips, our hot tub lodge, but mostly just being completely and utterly lost in "us" for a bit.
After the stress of wedding planning, a month of saying "thank you", cheesy grins and reviewing wedding photos, we’re stepping into a season of “being.” Just us, no to-do lists, no last-minute emails or decisions to make, no flapping over tiny details that nobody really cared about in the end. Just soft mornings, slow walks, and letting the days find their own rhythm.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to start this space, and the truth is, life doesn’t always arrive in tidy, themed boxes. Right now, I’m making the most of my days off, basking in the warm afterglow of being newly married, and looking forward to our upcoming road trip to Somerset. I’m in a season of small joys—coffee in the garden, organising my office space, and moments of quiet laughter that remind me how much goodness can sit inside the everyday.
