WHY DID THE 12th of April BRING ABOUT A MIXTURE OF FEAR AND EXCITEMENT?

 

Last night I went to bed feeling very anxious because I knew that the following day I would be joined by other people in motorhomes on the site. Today the 12th of April 2021 sees an easing of lockdown and campsites can open up to the public but they must keep their facilities closed. 

I came to this field on the edge of Blakeney, at the start of November, just before the lockdown started and I have been here alone for over five months.(98 days) At the start it was quite scary because the locals were unhappy that I was here in my motorhome. Things soon settled down though and they got used to me being here. Once they realised that I was not breaking any rules. I was travelling Great Britain in the motorhome and as a freelance journalist I was working from the motorhome, so I fit the Caravan and Motorhome Club criteria to enable me to stay on the CL site.  The owners of the site have just been so kind and I have felt protected and well looked after by them. They even let me do my shopping with them on their Asda order. So I was able to keep myself pretty much isolated all the time.

During my time in North Norfolk I have loved exploring this area on my ebike and on foot. I have walked hundreds of miles to the sea and in the surrounding countryside. Blakeney, Cley next the sea, Wells-next-the-sea and Cromer have blown my breath away with their beauty. Although as much as I love it I am so ready to move on to continue my motorhome madness.

As well as the excitement about the prospect of other campers today, I am thrilled to hear on the news this morning that The film Nomad won several Baftas last night. It is about an older woman who starts a new life on the road in the American mid West, after a financial crash. I cannot wait to see it. I love my nomadic life in my motorhome and I am championing pro ageing and positive ageing, at the same time as challenging ageist stereotypes and ageism. I want people to realise the important things are family and friends not possessions. I want to help change the narratives and images surrounding ageing. I want younger people to relish the prospect of getting old and embracing old age. So often there are negative connotations associated with older people. I want to show that you are never too old for adventure. Hopefully the film Nomad will just reaffirm the message.

I have had a rollercoaster of emotions during lockdown. I embraced the solitude at the start and reflected on a lot of things in my life and I came to terms with not being able to go anywhere. Friends and family were fabulous keeping in contact with various zoom calls and quizzes. I also signed up for numerous webinars and online book clubs, to learn more about groups who are trying to combat ageism in society. I joined the daily coffee breaks with the amazing Yes Tribe. 

I made fabulous connections on social media, particularly with women, who like me, are eager to support other women in their adventures and endeavours.  I put together an online presentation to give talks about all my challenges and adventures and about how I had faced my fears. These have been very well received.

The talk is about facing fears and still succeeding with challenges in life. Just before I was fifty I packed a rucksack and travelled around the world on my own, since fifty I have run two marathons, climbed the 'Three Yorkshire peaks' and climbed Mount Mulanje, in Malawi. I am currently undertaking my biggest challenge so far. I got rid of my flat and most of my possessions brought a motorhome and eighteen months ago I started travelling solo around Great Britain to challenge stereotypes of what retired pensioners do. You are never too old for adventure. 

My plan when I set off was to have no plan, to go where the mood took me, to seek out interesting places and people along the way. I did not bargain for a pandemic stopping me in my tracks, not once but several times. Two lots of long periods of lockdown. Last year for four months and this time for over five months. I have faced fear and uncertainty. When Boris made the announcement at Christmas that meant my daughter could not join me for a few days over Christmas because of Covid restrictions, it was the hardest time for me. I hit a real low and sobbed and questioned what I was doing. The dark nights and shorter days in the cold winter months did not help my mood either. Eventually I rallied and realised that this was all part of the adventure and that I was not going to allow myself to be beaten by a Pandemic.

Now as the days get longer and the nights are brighter I am optimistic about what lies ahead for me in the motorhome. I am enjoying giving my talks which are being well received, and planning to head off again. I plan to spend several weeks near my daughter so we can just spend some quality time together and  I can also catch up with other friends in the area. Then I will venture off again into the unknown. 

I am walking one hundred miles in April for the charity Careintuk, they help women and young ladies all over the world. I have done sixty miles so far and still have two weeks left to finish the remaining forty miles. I have raised hundreds of pounds and that makes it all worthwhile. I am a strong believer in women supporting women. 

When I got back from my six mile walk today and rounded the corner near the campsite I could see the tops of the new motorhomes in the field. It was exciting to see that I had been joined by neighbour and I gave them a big smile as I walked past to my motorhome. Realising that things have changed again, and life is moving on and in a couple of days I too will be heading off again to see what adventures I can find.