Rearranging best laid plans! Oh well!

It’s been 2 years of being land bound! Almost! If you know us you know we are (or rather I am) bitten by the travel bug! And often my family has no choice but to follow! However I do try even if I say so myself! I try to make the experience as fun/ tolerable for all members of the family! This year it was decided we would take ourselves to the United Kingdom! But I wanted to do more than just London. So it was decided that we would do a few days in London but have a drive through experience of Scotland! Dreaming of the  Scottish Lochs and Moors I planned a packed itinerary with stays in Inns and Bed and Brakfasts! An itinerary that would take us through the Scottish wilderness to explore the unexplored!

 I scoured the internet for months to put together this itinerary! I joined facebook groups to be sure! But overall I just enjoyed the planning journey!

But as it is said God/ luck/ fate whatever you may choose to call it has her own plans! (If there is an omnipresent I really hope its a her, so much  more empathy we will get!) For the first time in 2 years we were ready to travel beyond the borders, and I planned a full itinerary for our 10 day trip! But it involved driving in Scotland and having so much confidence in the Mister’s driving skills I booked us a manual transmission car!

Half way to the flight, we realized someone had forgotten his drivers license! I can’t be trusted with a manual and there is no way I am paying another 1000 Pounds for an automatic! Oh well! But we still held on to hope and arrived in London!

After a couple of packed days in London (More on that later), DH was just not having it! As its usually my kids that are impacted by jet lag, boredom or just not feeling touristy this should have been a bit of a clue! The day we landed he was falling apart as we hit mid day! I booked us into a Hilton and paid through the nose to have a good experience! But we couldn’t get our room till late and by the time we got our room we were all way past done and the jet lag was feeling real! But most importantly DH was not having it! We got through the day, got a little bit of shut eye and met some friends for dinner. Day 2 was better, a day at Oxford. Our luck wasn’t having it though. I had hoped to take my Potter head to Christ Church to see the Hogwart Great Hall and other sights, but when we got there they told us they were all sold out! We made the most of the day, laughed, hung out and made it back in one piece and full of good humor! I will take that!

Day 3 was Harry Potter day! After a HP exploration of London DH was now complaining of a sore throat. I suspected he was just being paranoid and said so to the pharmacist as I picked up a COVID test and rolled my eyes as I picked up a cart load of medication. Bring on the Vitamin C, Strepsils, Paracetamol and whatever you can load on! The climax though was a bit of a let down! He tested positive for COVID! The new world we live in! Well we are all vaccinated, boostered up but still COVID catches you unawares and gives your body a beating while at it! All of the card loading will now come in handy! But the well laid plans wont!

We are taking the day off from the vacation, the Buckingham palace is being given a slip, Scotland will no longer be done by car, we will adjust, regroup and hopefully still have a unique experience we will all enjoy! After all that’s what life is about! I am glad my kids don’t care! In fact I may be the only one that does! But I always do and want to soak in the place as much as I can wherever I go! My family never gets it! But I can live with changing plans, as long as the family is together safe and secure! (Who am I kidding?, my heart is breaking all this beauty and I am not out there exploring! COVID be damned!)

And what’s life if there isn’t a bit or drama! That’s been the mantra of our lives all along! So be it! It gives me a story to tell!