Carefree in Croatia

I'm at my most content when I'm travelling and this trip couldn't have come at a better time. It was bliss to leave all the cycle tracking, temperature taking, peeing on ovulation sticks firmly back at home and have a proper break from everything fertility related.

It was the first family holiday I've been on since I was a teenager almost twenty years ago so I was especially eager for this trip to come around. My mother had never been on a plane (my father was scared of flying and they used to travel everywhere by boat or train) so I was also excited to see her reaction to the maiden flight. I was also looking forward to spending some quality time with my brother, even though we see a lot of him as he currently lives with us, we rarely go away together.

The flight from Gatwick to Split was typically one of the most turbulent I've experienced, I was trying to appear calm (whilst gripping the life out of the armrests) as I was sitting next to Mum and didn't want to alarm her. She didn't seem the least bit bothered of said disruptions and was far too busy taking photos out of the window the whole way there!

Croatia was stunning. After spending two days in Split, we hired a car and drove north to Plitvička Jezera as we wanted to visit the famous Plitvice Lakes National Park. The chain of terraced lakes and waterfalls was one of the most picture-postcard perfect places I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Even though it was heaving with tourists, it felt peaceful walking along the boardwalks next to the crystal-clear water and I was happy to take in the beautiful scenery whilst contemplating our upcoming journey.

Two days later we drove back to Split and boarded a boat for Hvar island, I'd found an AirBnB apartment in a sleepy little town called Jelsa a few weeks previously. It turned out to be quite basic (I might have miscalculated the bedrooms and Jason had to sleep on sofa cushions in a tiny room adjoining Mum's) but it had a pool and after a few days travelling we all needed a bit of chill time. We had the terrace and pool to ourselves all day and I realised it was the first time in months that I felt completely at ease (did I mention I love the sunshine?) I suddenly regretted not booking more time in Jelsa as the next few months, I'm assuming, will be far from the calm we experienced on Hvar island.

We arrived home after a few more days seeing new beautiful places - we met with Jon's parents on another Adriatic island (Mljet) and spent time in lovely Trogir.

We are finally ready for our next journey. Bring it on.

Turning Thirty-Seven

We've just returned from a fantastic road trip around Scotland. The lovely weather has surprisingly carried on well into July and our week across the border was just glorious (yes, really!). Our Scottish jaunt actually started with a night in Newcastle before driving up to Fasque Castle in Aberdeenshire for a few days celebrating the wedding of our friends, Jake & Laura.

After a mad but definitely fun-filled few days partying with the Scots in Fettercairn, we made our way down to Edinburgh for a couple of nights. We did a lot of walking and it was lovely to spend a couple of days just the two of us before heading across to Glasgow (via the Trossachs and Loch Lomond) to see friends.

On our way back down to London, we stopped for a final night in Liverpool to celebrate my birthday (a day early) with our friends Rob & Gill. They announced they were getting married on my birthday next year! Whilst we were celebrating with copious amounts of prosecco, it got me thinking about where we would be in a year from now - I could be pregnant.

We drove back to London the following day, the journey took what seemed like a lifetime because we'd been up late and I might have had a wee hangover. I've always liked to celebrate birthdays but they also bring a stark reminder that another year has gone by without being able to conceive. Relieved to be home, we made a cup of tea and started going through the post that had built up over the last week. Hidden within the pile of boring bills and take-away menus was the best birthday present ever... our IVF referral letter!

Yesterday, we continued the celebrations by having a BBQ at our house. Even though there was a deluge of rain which persisted all day (summer is officially over - boo!) I had such a fantastic day. Buoyed by the letter from Kingston ACU and good-spirited friends crammed into our kitchen, it was another birthday down but one to remember.