My birthday week away

I'm not one for celebrating birthdays, other people's yes but for my own? Nope. I haven't had a big birthday party since my 18th where my best friend and I dressed up as Hawaiian girls and I spent most of the evening drunk dancing in just a bikini. Cringe. In recent years I would celebrate with a small group of friends over lunch which would be lovely but anything bigger would cause anxiety.

After losing a friend recently far before her time to go, I decided life is too short not to celebrate things and last year I booked a fabulous house through Unique Homestays and told some friends to save the date. It would be a big celebration, a faux 40th if you will! (disclaimer, this was my 38th birthday but because it was a bit extravagant it became known as my faux 40th). I reasoned that as I hadn't really celebrated in a big way for so many years then this was worth it.

The house was a beautiful converted Mill in West Sussex and it was dog friendly. I liked the fact that it wasn't a long drive for us, just over an hour. When I was younger I probably would have wanted to go to the Cotswolds but Rosie doesn't like being in the car for that long and I have back issues (hello old age) so nowadays I prefer to staycation a little closer to home.

Plus West Sussex is so beautiful, we were surrounded by fields and farms and stunning houses covered in roses.

The week we were away we struck gold with the weather. It was lovely and hot with a breeze and the gardens were extensive meaning we got the sunshine all day well until the late evening. The house was directly on the River Arun so it was wonderful being so close to water and therapeutic listening to the water as it passed through the mill.

For the first few days it was just Mr Poachie, Rosie and me. We had nothing on the agenda, no National Trust visits, nada. In fact the only thing we wanted to do was one long dog walk a day but it was so hot we didn't even manage that but Rosie got plenty of exercise chasing balls around the garden.

We read books and drank aperol and laid in the sunshine. Ate al fresco each night and I enjoyed long soaks in the bath every evening. It was so relaxing and we kept saying how lucky we were with the weather, it felt like we were abroad.

This was my first ever booking with Unique Homestay and it did not disappoint. The house was stunning, lovely beams, light and airy. Beautifully decorated, fully equipped with everything we needed.

I was intending on doing a lot of cooking and baking for the week and I had everything I needed. It was a joy to cook in that beautiful kitchen with all the windows wide open so I could soak in the beautiful views.

Some friends joined us mid week and it was so much fun. On the night before my birthday Mr Poachie fired up the BBQ and set up outdoor cinema so we could watch Dirty Dancing and I loved it.

On my actual birthday, after my obligatory tea in bed and cuddles with my friends children, I got up and made a birthday breakfast consisting of Eggs benedict, fresh coffee and mimosas. I didn't take any photos as I was too in the moment to worry where my phone was.

After that the plan was to have a lazy morning and then ramble to a nearby pub but we all agreed that the house was so nice why would we want to leave it? So we stayed home and I made a focaccia and pasta salad for lunch and we had rose in the sunshine.

In the afternoon we drank pink fizz and ate some homemade Victoria sponge. It was literally my dream day. There was talk of using the kayaks, but it wasn't that easy to get them or ourselves in the river and by this point we were a little tiddly so decided against it.

Instead we spent the evening enjoying each others company, being silly and dancing. Thankfully no-one would have been able to hear us as the noise of the mill drowned out and noise! 

After waking up feeling a little jaded, the next day we had breakfast together and my friends got ready to leave but Mr Poachie and I had the house booked for another few nights which I was glad about as I was not ready to leave!

We decided to leave the house for a nearby pub lunch which the owner recommended and it was great. Weirdly I had woken up with terrible leg pain, again hello old age and I was hobbling about like an OAP. Thankfully it sorted itself out by that afternoon! 

When we got home I decided I needed to attempt the kayaks. It was one of the reasons I wanted to book the house and I love being on the water so Mr Poachie helped me in and thankfully there were no casualties.

I actually couldn't go very far in the kayak as there was a fallen tree further up the river but it was bliss just for a short while. I really like being on the water, it's so calming.

The whole week was dreamy, and I truly felt able to relax and other than a short morning of anxiety prior to my friends arrival, I was totally relaxed and just had so much fun celebrating.

The house, although a major splurge was so worth it and whilst I cant afford to do this every year, it really made me appreciate the moments that are so special and to take the time and effort to make memories like this.

Here's to the next one!