I am well and truly back from my holiday, a rather splendid cruise around the British Isles. My break away has left me refreshed and embracing a slower pass of life, not that I have been a busy person prior to it. Since taking redundancy I am still finding my path on just how much self employed work I want to embrace. Reflecting on this has made me realise that during my holiday I have achieved a number of things and it has also shown me I am ready to make a few more changes. So what better way than to share some of these than with a Five of Friday themed post.



Bucket List
This is not something I have set in stone, I do not even have a master list pinned on a board anywhere. It’s more of a case of ideas kept safely in my head and voiced occasionally to my family and friends. 


Two ticks on the virtual bucket list..
Go on a cruise. I plan to share lots of photos and information about my cruise on Cunards Queen Elizabeth ship, it sailed around the British Isles stopping in Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. I can not say I had any particular expectations about cruising, but I was delighted by the standard of service and and quality of food enjoyed during my time aboard. 

The Giants Causeway. The main reason I picked this particular cruise was that it stopped at Belfast, and gave me a chance to visit the UNESCO World Heritage and National Trust site of The Giants Causeway. This natural phenomenon has been on my virtual bucket list for many years. Though the trip from the ship started with a shower of rain, I was so pleased the sun came out and for the rest of the day the tour remained several steps ahead of the rain. Even with all the visitors it was still an amazing place to visit, and I am so delighted I did. 

Unplugged
Majority of time during my holiday I had limited access to the world of social media and wifi. Whilst I was keen to share my adventures with you all via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I also realised just how refreshing it was to step away from the constant checking of my phone for messages, emails and the electronic world.  As such I am on the brink of enforcing a no electronic devices ban on set hours for set days. Do let me know if you have tried this and if you have any tips.


Crochet
This extra freedom gave me more time for creativity. I successfully completed my Learn to Crochet the Easy Way course from Beautiful Things, and I am looking forward to taking my crochet to the next level with the intermediate course. Crochet is a great way to distract me from the electronic world.  Although I do love looking at all creations everyone posts on Instagram and their blogs, which is great for inspiration and motivation.

Writing
I have always had this small yearning to have something published. I guess in a way you could say that by creating and writing this blog I have achieved this. But I have decided to take it a little further and plan to publish my own e-book. Things are still in the planning and creative stage, but just by typing this and putting the idea out there I feel I have taken the first step. It will not be a novel, but something creative.