Plans for September

img credit: armando tavares

August flew by in a total blur.  First of all my birthday, where we went for a lovely spa day, then my friend’s wedding, Cowes Week, then lots of sorting and decluttering and re-painting the bathroom, then a bit of curious house-hunting, then Reading Festival, and now here we are in September.

September is shaping up to be just as busy, and just as exciting! Next weekend is looking very awesome indeed, with a meetup with Sarah (which inevitably will involve lots of food and lots of catchups) and then on the Sunday we get to help Princess Cruises celebrate their 50th anniversary with yet more amazing food and a nose around one their ships! I cannot wait for that.  It’s really nice to be able to get involved in more nautical/maritime type events as it’s so closely linked to my job and where we live.

The following weekend I think we’re going to hop along to Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival.  I mean – have you ever heard of a better idea for a festival? There will be cheese, ale, cider, and more cheese. I’m excited just thinking about it.  I’ve booked camping at a nearby campsite so we can take the van (and Bodhi!) – I’m just hoping it doesn’t rain so we can sit out and have cider and a barbecue and enjoy ourselves rather than hiding in the van!

The real highlight of September is a bit later when we go to Porto, Portugal for a few days.  We’re flying out of Gatwick on a Thursday morning and come back the following Monday, so we have a good few days to explore.  Please do let me know if you’ve ever been to Porto before as I’d love some tips for things to do! I can’t wait to eat lots of yummy food, have some drinks in the sunshine and generally explore.  I’ve been doing lots of pinning of pretty looking cultural quarters and architecture – it just looks stunning!

I think the last week of September will definitely be spent chilling after all of those adventures! I mentioned house-hunting at the beginning of the post – this is something we are not doing in earnest but we are casually keeping our eyes open for somewhere new.  Where we live now is very rural and it’s not easy to walk to any shops or restaurants etc, and whilst I’ve tried to embrace the vegetable patch and cosy nights in lifestyle, I find myself getting a little lonely (we don’t have friends in close proximity), and frankly a little bored.  I used to live in Southampton in the city centre before we moved to Dorset and I do miss being able to walk into town or go for lunch at the weekend without getting in the car.  So we’re now searching for somewhere that’s a bit more central to Bournemouth but still has nice walks and the seaside within easy reach – we shall see!  

So definitely lots of exciting things on the horizon – what have you got planned for September?