What are you looking forward to?

[Faircastle]

I'm grateful to be safe and well, but finding it challenging to stay mentally healthy (long-term anxiety and depression).

I am exercising every day and trying to keep to a routine, but it would help to have things I can look forward to.

I don't mean general things that I hope to be able to do at some unknown point in the future (like visiting family or meeting up with friends).

I mean things to look forward to that have a set date where I could count down the days.

So if you can tell me what you are looking forward to, hopefully that will inspire me.

What am I looking forward to? Sadly I haven’t got any plans beyond my cancelled holiday. Maybe going on holiday next year instead?

My DS should be off to university, 🤞I’m looking forward to seeing him develop into a adult and have all those uni experiences.

I’m actually looking forward to getting back to work! But don’t have a set date for that.

Christmas?

Sorry I’m not sure how we can help you with fixed dates when we just don’t know...beyond things like Christmas & New Year...obviously no one knows what things will be like by then & I’m assuming great care will need to be taken as we will have all the seasonal flu plus still Covid - so probably the more sensible people will be staying home this Christmas & Skype with the greater family.

We are having my nieces 18th on Skype tomorrow. Not exactly an 18yo’s dream celebration🙄🙄but needs must. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Would you enjoy planning things for Christmas, maybe making some things?

I'm looking forward to National Theatre at Home - new performances every Thursday on youtube. Last night, we watched 'One Man, Two Guvnors' as a family and even though it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, we tried something new. 'Jane Eyre' next week!

I'm looking forward to being able to see my mum, dad, brother & nephews again. I want to eat one of my mum's pasties and a yeast bun, then go for a long walk on the Cornish coast path around Black Head or just get in the car to go to Hawker's Cove followed by a pizza at Rojanos.

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to my cold frame arriving so that I can finally plant my pots of beans & peas and watch them grow, instead of the usual frantic trip to a garden centre to buy plants which someone else has already brought one. Normally I'm so busy at work that I even run out of time to plant out the pots, until I get the the point of untangling the runners and hoping they will cling to the bamboo canes rather than flop at their base.

Brought on = brought one.

I looked through the Guardian's TV guide this morning & activelynplanned what I want to watch instead of random channel hoping. Friday Night Dinner, Outnumbered etc. I think I'm going to treat the TV guide like pre booked tickets to the cinema, where you put a date in your diary.

I am looking forward to so much just engaging with life. Having more experiences - travelling more and seeing the world, trying new restaurants, seeing more theatre and events, learning new hobbies. The bucket list is growing. In immediate terms once all this is over there will be a big lunch/dinner to celebrate all the birthdays and events that we have missed and to say thank you to the friends and family that have helped during difficult times. At Xmas overseas family are due to visit - if that doesn't happen then we may plan to travel (if wecan) - a couple of milestone holidays were planned this year. For school children looking forward to them also getting back to school routines and seeing their friends. Also a good time to evaluate and decide what of your old life you want to carry on and what things you need to start fresh. I also realise that I want to look after my health more to be better prepared for the future.

I am looking forward to seeing my sister who lives 150 miles away. I'm looking forward to having a coffee with friends. I'm looking forward to swimming before work. None of these have any future date fixed sadly. But I'm loomjn forward to my ds starting the next phase of his life going to university.

I really miss going to the theatre so I will be booking some plays/shows as soon as I can!

I can't wait to go the beach (in this country) and paddle in the sea with my dog.

I looked at DD'S year planned last night. A levels cancelled. Cruise to Fjords cancelled. Centre court at Wimbledon cancelled. Interrailing probably cancelled. However, she is strangely relaxed and can look forward to lesson in basic household stuff that she has avoided for the last 18 years as her studies have always taken precedence.

We used to book Saturday evenings to do a Come dine With Me challenge. Perhaps we should reinstate that each week, with a hint of Can't Cook Won't Cook to use whatever can be found with the next use by date in the fridge.

In terms of set dates:

• cake delivery from local bakery
• Tesco delivery - our first grocery delivery for a month, hopefully including some Easter eggs too!
• I'm popping out later for my state sanctioned walk and will buy some Prosecco for this evening
• I've got a new Neom candle that's been sitting in the cupboard for a couple of months, and we're going to light it tonight and watch a film, if we can agree on one
• I made bath salts with essential oils and will be having a lovely long bath later with Georgette Heyer
• I'm going to order some flowers for my daughter and my mum, just because, and I'm looking forward to them receiving them

Remus, how true about the candles. I always save them for another day, but another day should be today & tomorrow right now.

So true. It's ridiculous that I buy them and don't use them. I'm usually good at not saving 'for best' but candles and pretty notebooks tend to sit around for ages, when I should just use them!

As ever, looking forward to the day my 19 month old sleeps through...!

I'm using a jolly notebook for recording a weekly fridge audit. I shall add that to my list of things to look forward to. Perhaps I could use a posh pen too.

I always use nice pens! :) You should definitely go for it.

Some lovely ideas here. I have been inspired and did manage to think of one: I'm going to look to see if any of my favourite authors are due to have new books published soon, so I can pre-order them for my kindle.

If there was ever a time for using nice things that you have been saving, I think now counts.

Nice things which I have decided to use now:
L'Occitane shower gel
Percy & Reid hair fragrance (it was a pointless freebie, but it smells gorgeous)
Basil, lime & mandarin candle

I have also started listening to Trevor Noah's autobiography Born a Crime in the garden (at an acceptable volume which can't be heard by neighbours) whilst doing a Wentworth jigsaw. I was planning to listen when I went on a post A level cruise in July, but I cancelled yhatbyesterday. Perhaps I should wear my black tie dinner frock to dinner tonight!

I really like the idea of getting dressed up for dinner but can't persuade the other 2 here to play along.

I've been using my 'for best' expensive drawing paper - just because.