Well, I just got back from my first proper break in 5 years! A few of us spent New Year in a cottage on Anglesey – I went over there on the 27th and got back yesterday lunchtime.
The view from our cottage.
It was great weather all week – pretty cold, but dry and mostly sunny, and our cottage couldn’t have been any closer to the sea! You just had to walk out of the garden gate, and within a few metres you were on the beach! I took my bike with me (which to my shame I haven’t ridden since I went out on it 2 years ago with Jamie!) and got on it twice, which is a good start for me(!) although where we were was very hilly, so probably not ideal for someone who hasn’t ridden for so long!
Tabatha, Ajay, Me, Clare and Rob at South Stack.
Altogether across the week there were 9 of us – me, Ajay, Rob, Clare, Tabitha, Steve, Leah, Dave and Danny, although me and Ajay were the only ones who stayed the whole week – the majority left on Thursday lunchtime.
Throughout our time on Anglesey, as well as exploring the area around our cottage, I got to visit quite a few places really – South Stack lighthouse (where the group photo to the right was taken), Holyhead, Red Wharf Bay, the Breakwater Country Park, and Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!
Me at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch station.
Rob virtual fishing.
We managed to get out and about most days, and in the evenings either played games like Pictionary and Taboo, watched DVDs (this was the point that I decided that ‘Juno’ is an amazing film… conversely, ‘Family Business’ is one of the worst I’ve seen!) or played on Rob’s Wii!
I’ve never had a go on one before, and rarely play computer games, but it’s really addictive!
It’s really intuitive to use, and I probably spent far too long playing Mario Kart and Wii Bowling, but at least I wasn’t as bad as Rob, who was playing ‘Wii Sea Bass Fishing’ complete with a special fishing rod controller… when the real sea was about 10 metres away!!
Rob the Jenga king.
New Year’s Eve was a Taboo and Jenga-fest, which got pretty intense at times, and I managed to knock the tower down a couple of times, but when it happened there was genuinely no other brick to move! We were hardcore Jenga players! When it came to seeing in the New Year, all the others went down to the beach, but I decided to see it in on my own – not really a big fan of it all to be honest, so ended up going on Facebook instead on my mobile phone… sad I know!
Rob (after swimming in the sea) and Clare.
Ajay, Steve and Clare.
All in all, I wouldn’t mind doing it again next year. It was a really nice break from work (which certainly was needed!), and it was a good crowd, although when you go away with people you know from work, it can be hard to turn off from those kind of conversations! I think we got a pretty good balance though, and it was nice to do something different. Not sure I want to go back to work tomorrow!
I’ve got a pretty hefty photo album of the holiday here!