Our First Weekend Of Freedom…

I can’t even begin to explain how excited I am for this first weekend! I will be definitely using a large wedge of this time seeing family that I haven’t been able to see since lockdown. My dad also recently got a new puppy and I’ve been desperately waiting to meet it.

I will be most definitely going for brunch, oh how I’ve missed fancy smashed avocado on toast and an oat latte in a crowded cafe. I need to visit a beer garden too and have that first cold pint. Even if it’s raining, I don’t care, I’ll be there.

I, of course, want to see all of my friends, I feel a big night out pending, I think the whole of Brighton will be out that weekend! I will be eating a Nandos at some point too, that’s for sure, a Zizi’s as well.

I have missed going to restaurants a lot, my bank account probably doesn’t feel the same!

I’m a bit of a realist so when I think about my first weekend of freedom I’m fully aware it won’t be business as usual with every pub, club and restaurant flinging open its doors and guiding me in, however for the sake of fun I’m going to approach this as if I can do whatever the hell I want! For starters, I’ll definitely be seeing my immediate family and having all the snuggles and cuddles I possibly can. I honestly think I’ll probably cry a lot, for some reason I can just imagine it all being very emotional. I’m about to miss out on my hen-do with all my friends so having a night out dancing with all of them is mandatory and I’ll probably be hungover for a week after. In an ideal world, a meal at Flat Iron would be in there, it’s my favourite restaurant and the thing I’ve been craving the most! We were also supposed to go to Cornwall for the Easter holiday so I can’t wait to head there as soon as we can and see all my family, eat fish and chips, breathe in cornish air, and play cards in pubs. Lastly, I cant wait for my dog Milo to see all his doggie friends and have a proper play as I’m sure he’s just as bored as we are!

Like everyone else, I’m really missing my friends and family the most right now. We’re so lucky that we have the technology to be able to facetime and call loved ones but nothing beats a big bear hug with your favourite people. I’m currently in lockdown with my husband as well as my parents because we’re living with them at the moment while our house is being built but I can’t wait to hug everyone else that I love the second we’re allowed to, especially my little nieces. As soon as possible we will head down to Cornwall to see our family there and spend some time with them as we really missed not being able to go down there at Easter. I love going out for brunch so I’d also make sure I schedule a brunch date with all of my best friends, I think that will be the moment that life will start to feel normal again.

Probably echoing everyone else here, but the first thing I want to do is embrace and squeeze everyone I love. I’m a very tactile person, so have really missed that interaction with the people I’m closest to. One thing isolation has also taught me was that as much as I’m a “home comforts” kind of girl, and have spent so long feeling anxious of restaurants and social spaces and turning things down (although not so much in recent years), I don’t think I’ll ever take them for granted again. I’ve never been so excited to “nip out for breakfast” or “meet in a pub garden” or “go out for dinner” or even wander through the streets of London! (I KNOW, WHO EVEN AM I?). It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Wagamama, and I’m not going to lie…i’ve thought about their katsu curry almost every day, so I know exactly where I’ll be going the minute they re-open their doors. I’ve also missed the beach so much! It’s not within walking distance for me, so hasn’t been somewhere I can go on my daily exercise and on some of the more sunny days, I’ve really wished I could go. I can’t wait to go on my first picnic of the year, and watch the sunset from devils dyke! I think I can just about squeeze all those things into one weekend right? 😉

WHAT a weekend this will be- so many people to see and places to be! I feel like for me it’s going to be centred almost entirely around eating, drinking and seeing as many familiar faces as I can squeeze into 48 hours. I’m used to being in a long-distance relationship with my boyf but we’ve never been longer than about a month without seeing each other so lockdown has felt like an eternity at times. I can’t wait to put on an outfit that makes me feel 10/10, go for a walk and sit down in a public place just because I CAN, pop some Prosecco on the beach and overindulge on everything delicious. I feel like we need an honorary Bank Holiday to fit everything in tbh …

I think I’ll be keeping things really simple making up for lost time by jumping straight in the car and going to see my family and friends. I have a young niece and nephew that I see every week without fail so I’ve missed getting in my regular cuddles with them. Maybe a nice pub lunch in the sunshine or a walk along the beach with an ice cream in hand. I sense my friends are going to want to mark the occasion with some kind of boozy shindig to celebrate too. I can already feel the hangover coming on! I might also start working on our hallway renovation… but don’t hold me to that. I’m a slow renovator.