#Change

#Change, retirement on a budget, staycation, holiday at home, adventure at home, mini holiday, holiday from home, free holiday from home, high tea at home romantic high tea at home

Courtesy jdurham@morgueFilefree photos

Change…
“To make something different. You can cause something to change, or you can bring change upon yourself.”… Google Business Dictionary

Change
When change is as good as a holiday
Dust out those gorgeous china cups and use them more
Change enlightens the spirit

You are aching for a holiday, a change to the everyday dreary, where can we go, but have little funds, I need a break moment of madness.

Staycation…have you ever indulged?
Now isn’t that a good word, indulged. It makes it sound so much better than we went, or we did :)

Plan. Give thought. Try and make the main part of home really inviting and fresh with nothing but a little time and elbow grease….or do it later with everyone pitching in after a refreshing recharge out.

Stay based at home but…

Enjoy a myriad of little trips
Search out
Visit new places for
a snack
a coffee
a catchup
a picnic
a new communal meeting point with friends
Time and connection with loved one
Time and connection with children

So instead of a few hundred dollars just on accommodation for at best a couple of nights you have the pleasure to indulge many little occasions spread over time. You can spend nothing by bringing from home, or treating for this occasion. Again it doesn’t need to cost a heap. New surroundings, pleasant views all add to the special ambience….give it a little thought and do some homework or ask acquaintances.

#Change, staycation, holiday at home, adventure at home, mini holiday, holiday from home, free holiday from home, high tea at home romantic high tea at home, coffee, coffee and nibbles, coffee and friends, what goes with coffee, friends, beach holiday from home

Courtesy greyerbaby@morgueFile free photos

I was reminded of our staycation whilst looking for a particular photo. Well I didn’t find it as it’s on my phone and I have yet to be able to download them. But it gave me a germ of an idea for a topic:)

We did staycation last year because all the accommodation we looked at was just so unrealistic. I think of it as “the end of winter, need to lift the blues.” We had amazingly beautiful weather crowning OUR day.

Leaving home without breakfast we drove to somewhere and as I don’t know that part of Sydney hence no name. It was a beach….hubby just corrected me, it was somewhere in Collaroy. Here we enjoyed brunch right on the seashore with a slow coffee. We lingered and savoured the moment. A little walk was included.

#Change, staycation, holiday at home, adventure at home, mini holiday, holiday from home, free holiday from home, high tea at home romantic high tea at home, coffee, coffee and nibbles, coffee and friends, what goes with coffee, friends

#Change, staycation, holiday at home, adventure at home, mini holiday, holiday from home, free holiday from home, high tea at home romantic high tea at home, coffee, coffee and nibbles, shells, walk along the beach, sit by the beach and reflect

Then onwards to Palm Beach enjoying the ocean road. I know that name as I love the area though we have hardly ever been there. We found a nice bench on the edge of the sand and got our respective books out to peruse, to watch the ocean perchance to snooze. Another walk to a park for more chatting , reading and hubby snoozing. A few steps found another lovely eatery for a very late afternoon snack which actually became our evening meal as we didn’t eat that night.

Thence home unfortunately through traffic but that’s part of going on a Friday….our day off.

One long spread out gorgeous, decadent indulgence which I would love to repeat and hope to. Kill the winter blues sounds a good idea I think and something to look forward too. But maybe with a bit of careful budgeting as hubby is the proud new owner of a Pension Concession Card….he’s worked hard and now counting down with just under two weeks to him retiring and new adventures on the horizon….Retirement being a journey and not a destination.

Do you have little indulgences?

It doesn’t take much, does it,to change a hopeless want into reality if we just think about it differently.

Joining in with Essentially Jess for IBOT

12 thoughts on “#Change

  1. I’m not very good at the whole “staycation” concept, because there’s always waaay too much that needs doing in our house for it to be relaxing. But, I do love the idea of getting out the good tea cups, or making an extra good cup of coffee, or even just cleaning a section of the house extra well and making it beautiful – setting the table in a special way perhaps – to provide small moments of delight in the day or week. And since we tend to do big trips o/s every few years to visit friends/family, and no trips in between (besides 1-2 nights down the coast here and there, again visiting family), having moments of delight at home is a good thing :)

    • Kirsten, thanks for visiting. Yes we all can find our moments of joy or specialness. We just need to find the way. What works for one doesn’t for another, also the times or season of our life. I’m off to do some tidying to make kitchen and lounge a more restful zone….my brief moment of joy this morning was observing a beautiful Monarch butterfly gathering nectar from my Lavender. It did not linger long enough for a photo :( ….I think it was blown way off course from the normal on this winter day.

  2. Hi Alexa
    Lovely to read your blog just now … you must have been reading my thoughts! Have been trying to organise a holiday … haven’t had one for over 18 months and have not been feeling well at all over the last 6 months … badly need a holiday!! Hope to come and see you all over there at end of September.
    Always plenty to do in the house, but one needs energy to do it!
    Hope all is well with you and that you and Rob are enjoying retirement and keeping busy.
    Love Lis xo

    • Oh yay, you are coming…hooray. You’ll have to email me when in September so we make sure to be here GW….take care of yourself and relax xo

  3. That’s a beautiful idea Alexa, you could do staycations quite frequently too if you really needed to.

    • Thanks for visiting Michelle. Yes that’s my idea of staycation…spreading it out over time. A little bit here and then some more there when we maybe feel a little down. Just the prospect of a change from ordinary is food for the soul. Alexa

  4. I have always loved staycations – but now I work from home it’s not the same. I find it very hard to “step back” from both housework and work!!!!

    Visiting today from #teamIBOT xxx

  5. What a great post, I think I need to have a little more change in my life to keep me enthusiastic and my soul recharged! Might even take my 2.5yo to the beach tomorrow instead of the park like we usually do! x

  6. Staycations are a great idea – there’s always so many things to do where we live on the Gold Coast – a lot of the time I just hang at home though trying to relax but finding things to do.

    • Thanks for visiting. I’m glad you use the concept of Staycation too…even if you do a bit of home “stuff” as well:) Explore further each time and maybe find a gem. Alexa

  7. I love little indulgences. They keep me sane! I am not a huge staycationer – I like to explore my surroundings but I love a vacation too much to give it up in the name of a staycation.

    • Little indulgences make the days special no matter what we call them….enjoy your vacation:)
      Thanks for visiting again.

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