Will hoey

[Grandmashazzie]

Any one off to somewhere nice ? As it is quiet I thought I would do a thread. We are heading off to France and as we haven't a clue about footie couldn't understand why we had problem getting ferry booked at the end of June. All dates were booked Ireland to France. We decided it couldn't be right and phoned company, Oh it's the Euro football. We are now going 24 th until 10 July which is the football dates. I hope Ireland North and South do well or there will be a lot of Irishmen drowning their sorrows on the way back.

[mollyripkim]

Off to Mauritius in a couple of weeks, can't wait. Got someone coming in to look after the girls so hopefully they will be alright, got eight growers as well though. It's been a really stressful year with my poor mum being ill so feel we need a break.

[Blackrocksrock]

USA in 2 weeks Indiana bound to stay with friends who are then taking me to the Grand Canyon via Las Vegas and Hoover Dam. Cannot wait.

[soapdragon]

Devon on 3rd June for a week...back to our beloved Bigbury on Sea!

[dancing cloud]

Staycation here, the first two weeks in July . Would like to be going somewhere warm and sunny, but just a couple of weeks off will be good.

 

Keep thinking of all the things I could be doing - gardening, decorating, clearing out, sorting out etc - but I'll probably just watch Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix and sit around doing not a lot .

[Olly]

I'm off to the Scilly Isles next week, never been before. I'm going away with my four siblings and their partners - we try to all meet up once a year but this year we thought we'd actually go away together. It should be fun although families being what they are, no doubt there'll be a few squabbles before the end of the week!

[Lewis]

I was travelling for 5 weeks last summer and had less than 2 weeks at home so not going away this year. I guess living abroad means going home is my holiday!

 

I have lots of vet placements booked for this summer and will be nice to catch up with friends and family I don't get to see very often.

Hoping to go to India next summer to volunteer at a neuter clinic so I'm already saving up for that

[patsylabrador]

Nice thread. I love hearing about people's holiday plans - away and at home. I didn't know about the football and that explains why the transport cost to Europe has been hoiked up. We were thinking of a short break in Germany but I think England would be better and wait for the competition to be over.

[Grandmashazzie]

Oh dear just realised my spelling is off...hoiliday,I wondered why it hadn't been corrected on iPad and when I typed it it in again it corrects with same spelling and a capital H. Yes PL it is lovely to hear what others will be up to.

[chickencam]

No idea yet, still browsing, will probably have a few days camping fairly locally, haven't been for years and the two younger 'children' 17 & 20! Are feeling nostalgic for childhood camping trips. DS is off to Amsterdam with his American girlfriend next week before they go their separate ways for the summer, then he will come home and we will watch Wimbledon together

OH & I will try to have a few days away in our own when he is back too, maybe a city break, we were looking at Ghent, has anyone been?

[Grandmashazzie]

Not been to Ghent,My favourite all time city break was Berlin. I hadn't been particularly looking forward to it. It was a direct flight from Belfast and good price so we went. Fascinating city. Lots of walking tours,steeped in history.Would recommend it especially if you do a bit of reading around Hitler which I didn't but loved it.

[Daphne]

Yep, been to Gent, it's nice but not sure it's a weekends worth Maybe combine it with other places nearby, or do a 2 city break?

 

We are going to the US, with my Mum and bro and his family, to meet up with American family and celebrate a number of milestone birthdays, on the basis that America is closer than Australia which is where he lives

 

I use my iPad now and get quite annoyed at the amount of bizarre autocorrections it makes, I feel the quality of my writing is compromised sometimes

[mullethunter]

I'm off to the Scilly Isles

 

Olly I went for work for the first time just before Christmas - you'll love it, the islands are beautiful. The off islands especially. There's a lovely little jewellery workshop near Lowertown Quay on St Martins.

 

OH and I are off to Florida for 3 weeks later in the summer with his family. Not my choice of location, but we're planning to get a few days on our own fishing and snorkelling in the Keys which do look amazing. I'm going to have to rock the boat my not accompanying everyone else to Seaworld though.

[Lewis]

We went to SeaWorld 10 years ago and even with the controversy around Tilikum and his recent ill health, I'd love to go back. I looked at Internships there which would be an amazing opportunity.

I saw your post about Marine Biology, would you be interested to visit or completely not out of principle?

 

A vet friend who was invited to visit and given a tour recently and was amazed by the world class veterinary care, attention and facilities available to all the animals.

Science and technology available nowadays is amazing and can only serve to improve the mistakes we've made with keeping zoo animals in the past, which now have a fundamental role is saving species from mass extinction.

Blackfish was an interesting watch but clearly very biased.

 

Sorry, I'll get back to revision

[clucker1]

Interesting comments Lewis about Seaworld. We visited a few years ago before the latest press was around and had a fabulous day there.

This year we are off to North Pembrokeshire, a 5 minute walk from the sea.

[Ursula123]

I'm off to the Scilly Isles next week, never been before. I'm going away with my four siblings and their partners - we try to all meet up once a year but this year we thought we'd actually go away together. It should be fun although families being what they are, no doubt there'll be a few squabbles before the end of the week!

 

 

We went to the Isles of Scilly at the beginning of April, I had wanted to go for many years. It is truly beautiful.

[Luvachicken]

Off to Lyme Regis to hunt for fossils for a week in the Summer holidays in a pretty little cottage ......... AND they have chickens

[mullethunter]

I saw your post about Marine Biology, would you be interested to visit or completely not out of principle?

 

Yes I would be interested, but still will not out of principle.

 

I don't doubt that the care the animals receive is excellent, that they are physically in good health, and that the vast majority, if not all, of the people who work with the animals are passionate about looking after them well. I think his is the case for most developed countries zoos / aquariums etc. I also recognise that these places are playing a major role in the conservation of some extremely threatened species, and that they probably can be a great way to learn about the animals within them.

 

However, I feel quite strongly that many animals which are kept in captivity, should not be, as they're unable to experience anything approaching a 'normal' life where they are able to behave in a manner that is 'normal' for their species or to interact with other animals in such a way. I also don't agree that we should conserve a species if it's only ever likely to exist in captivity. I feel that all that achieves is that 'we' somehow assuage some of the guilt we may feel about habitat / species destruction in the first place.

 

I do realise that given all that, keeping chickens in half a garden in Cornwall and having them shut in a (albeit quite large) cage whilst I'm at work is somewhat hypocritical, but that's how I feel nonetheless.

 

Sorry - I'll get down off my soap box now and we can all go back to the lovely chat we were having about holidays...I'm quite looking forward to Harry Potter at Universal

[Groovychook]

No holidays for us this year although we'll try and get to the beach as much as possible

 

We visited the Scillies for a day trip about 10 years ago and loved it. It's so beautiful. Must go again and stay for a few nights!

[soapdragon]

Beach sounds perfect, Groovychook! We live about as far as you can from the sea in the UK and I find the pull of the waves irressistable! One week in Devon is never enough to last me the other 51 weeks! Its wonderful just walking along the beach and listening to the waves whilst beach combing.......BLISS!

[Groovychook]

I have very fond childhood memories of holidays spent at Bigbury on Sea

Hope you have a lovely time!

[patsylabrador]

I love the sea but I'm really bad at seaside resorts. I usually avoid seaside resorts like the plague but ES took us to a town in Japan and I felt so happy. Phil took us to a kiosk where we bought Wagu beef dumplings and to a sort of Japanese hippy gift shop and I bought a T-shirt that says ' if there is rice then life is good' in Kanji

We walked along the beach and ES said wait here, I'll just be five and OH and I paddled in the Pacific and then Phil met us with a beer. Was so happy seeing OH and ES chilling with a beer by the sea. A very simple moment but it meant a lot. I have truly golden memories of that day.

We walked down the coast passing ES's favourite surfing points to an island with a hilltop shrine. Buzzards were buzzing us for our food and you could buy large squashed prawn crackers. I kind of fizz inside when I think about everything in Japan - I want to go back. ES wants us to visit Hokkaido where he works in the winter months and drive snowmobile and try snowshoeing. I really want to do that.

I have a golden memory of Kamakura which was not pretty with its tsunami barrier but was just sublime with sparkly blue water and surfers and my happy ES.

I know I'm waffling but I can't stop myself.

[Olly]

You make Japan sound fabulous, it's not somewhere I'd ever thought of going.

 

Thanks for all the positive recommendations for the Scilly Isles, I'm sure I'll have a good time.

[Katy]

I only post here very rarely but visit most days and lurk in the background getting disappointed by the current quietness, so I thought instead of doing that today, I'd tell you all about my short but (I think) exciting holiday!

 

In a few weeks I'm off to New York with my sister and niece to meet up with my brother who will be sailing in from Seattle (via Panama!) as part of his epic round the world journey with the Clipper Race. I can't wait!

[clucker1]

Just back from a one night break in Windsor. Left ED in charge at home, woohoo....aren't kids great as they get older! Lovely time in Windsor, very lovely hotel....luxury, wandered round Eton and of course visited the castle which I hadn't been to for about 40 years! I remember the dolls house but that was about it. St George's chapel is amazing, and changing the guard was impressive too all with the British fabulous pageantry. More impressive than the London changing of the guard I thought. The band even played music from Hairspray. The galleries were all wow too, a lot to take in. Well that was my birthday present, OH gets lots of brownie points for such a great pressie!