Will 2021 bring any of us good fortune, or will it be more of the same?
This is probably the hardest start of a New Year that any of us have ever faced. Usually, December 31st is full of people wishing each other good luck on the stroke of midnight, exchanging hugs and kisses. This year, it’s more likely to be a collective worldwide deep breath while we brace ourselves for whatever January brings.2020 has brought us the hardest 12 months in modern history. This year, there will be no Times Square celebrations, no crowding along Princes’ Street in Edinburgh to watch the amazing fireworks displays, in fact, this new year eve we will all be staying home - just like every other day of the year in 2020.To celebrate the new year, usually by means of giant New Year’s Eve parties, is one of our most cherished years on year traditions. But when the clock strikes midnight this year, will we even really notice?The start of 2021 is likely to bring even stricter lockdown restrictions across most, if not all, of the UK. With the NHS seemingly about to crumble under the pressure of Covid admissions, cases higher than at the peak of the first wave, and the Nightingale hospitals all scrapped due to a lack of staff to operate them, how can we possibly be facing anything other than a second national lockdown to start the New Year?It’s highly likely that this year’s New Year resolutions will be more like ‘I must not hoard toilet paper’ rather than anything truly life-changing, because, honestly, how can we collectively cope with any dramatic changes in our lives when the high likelihood of a national lockdown is the only thought in our minds?So if there’s any chance of the ‘new year, new you’ that this time of year usually brings out in all of us taking place this year, it’s got to be in the simple things in life. None of us is in the frame of mind to cope with anything major in our lives right now, not when we have the major thought of an out-of-control pandemic to occupy our daily lives.Simple, yet effective, changes to our everyday lives are likely to be all we can cope with right now. The easiest one for us all to make is to take that daily walk, for a full hour, and work at increasing our pace and distance covered over time. Getting outside in the fresh air is vital at all times, but when we’re locked in our homes for extended periods of time, it becomes even more important than ever before to make sure we go outside and move around on a daily basis.In our part of the world, going for a walk along Cornwall’s glorious beaches and surrounding countryside is no hardship at all, in fact, it’s an absolute pleasure at any time of the year. In winter, the miles of golden sands and beaches that Hayle and the nearby towns are famous for maybe somewhat colder than in the summer months, but they are every bit as beautiful.It’s oddly deserted right now, but still bleakly wonderful here. We can’t wait to welcome visitors, and their dogs, back to our chalets sometime this year. We obviously hope it’s going to be very soon that we get the okay from the Government to begin taking bookings and renting out our pretty little homes-away-from-home, but, let’s be clear, all of our lives are more important than a holiday.Right now we need to all do our part to get through this. We can though, make sure we look after ourselves while we do so. Getting outside for that brisk long daily walk will be hugely helpful to you. And if you don’t have miles of golden beaches to walk along right now, don’t worry, we’ll be here for you before you know it.Have a Happy New Year from all us in Hayle, at Twice As Nice Holiday Chalets.
Well, it’s been quite the year, hasn’t it?! No-one’s New Year’s predictions last year could have possibly come close to the reality of 2020, that’s for sure.As we exit one of the most testing years in modern history, we may all be thinking longingly about a holiday away to rest, recharge, and recuperate. But are we safe to do so? Venues, heritage sites, and tourist attractions remain closed. Most of the country’s counties and cities are within high-risk areas (as this article is being written, London and the whole of the South-East are about to enter into Tier 3 restrictions too). Public transport has almost ground to a halt, except in the cities, as Covid really strikes hard.So how can we even begin to plan a holiday for 2021 safely? When will we be able to get into a swimming pool at a holiday resort again, and is holidaying in Britain going to be that much safer? With the restrictions on air travel set to continue, that last point looks to be a definite ‘yes’. So the good old-fashioned British Staycation looks to be back with a bang: but is it?With international borders either closed or imposing strict quarantine regulations - of up to 14 days for some countries - for the first time in living memory, holidaying within the UK is highly likely to be big business in 2021...providing we’re out of our current Tier 3 lockdown, of course.If we all wear masks and practice social distancing, can we guarantee that we won’t catch Covid if we go for a holiday anywhere in the British Isles? Sadly, it seems as though the answer right now is an emphatic ‘no’, so we do need to first make sure we’re all safe to travel.Right now, all the devolved countries in the UK - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - have different rules and may require you to self-isolate even when travelling within the UK. But, does that mean you shouldn’t plan a getaway in the Peak District or Cornwall for next year? No, but it does mean you should plan sensibly.At present, if you’re in a Tier 3 area - which most of the Country now is - you can’t travel out of your immediate area for a holiday, no matter how much you may want to. It’s not all doom and gloom though: the vaccine has arrived and has already begun to be delivered around the country.With the vaccine now being rolled out, starting with health workers and the most vulnerable in our society, we have the first glimmer of hope that we may achieve normality early in 2021. We’re not there yet of course, and there’s an anxious time ahead as we wait to see what damage the Christmas relaxation will do.But if we all now stick to the rules, it does seem as though the finish line may be in sight. So wash your hands, sanitise them - and everything you touch - regularly, wear a mask at all times when you leave home, keep two metres apart (especially in places where you don’t know the other people, like at the shops) and remain vigilant at all times.If we do all that, 2021 should be able to bring us the opportunity to relax, away from it all on a beautiful Cornish beach, with the people we love.We can’t wait to welcome you again, but, until it’s safe, please do continue to be extra careful and to look after those around you.
The start of 2021 is likely to bring even stricter lockdown restrictions across most, if not all, of the UK. With the NHS seemingly about to crumble under the pressure of Covid admissions, cases higher than at the peak of the first wave, and the Nightingale hospitals all scrapped due to a lack of staff to operate them, how can we possibly be facing anything other than a second national lockdown to start the New Year?
It’s highly likely that this year’s New Year resolutions will be more like ‘I must not hoard toilet paper’ rather than anything truly life-changing, because, honestly, how can we collectively cope with any dramatic changes in our lives when the high likelihood of a national lockdown is the only thought in our minds?
So if there’s any chance of the ‘new year, new you’ that this time of year usually brings out in all of us taking place this year, it’s got to be in the simple things in life. None of us is in the frame of mind to cope with anything major in our lives right now, not when we have the major thought of an out-of-control pandemic to occupy our daily lives.
Simple, yet effective, changes to our everyday lives are likely to be all we can cope with right now. The easiest one for us all to make is to take that daily walk, for a full hour, and work at increasing our pace and distance covered over time.
Getting outside in the fresh air is vital at all times, but when we’re locked in our homes for extended periods of time, it becomes even more important than ever before to make sure we go outside and move around on a daily basis.
In our part of the world, going for a walk along Cornwall’s glorious beaches and surrounding countryside is no hardship at all, in fact, it’s an absolute pleasure at any time of the year. In winter, the miles of golden sands and beaches that Hayle and the nearby towns are famous for maybe somewhat colder than in the summer months, but they are every bit as beautiful.
It’s oddly deserted right now, but still bleakly wonderful here. We can’t wait to welcome visitors, and their dogs, back to our chalets sometime this year. We obviously hope it’s going to be very soon that we get the okay from the Government to begin taking bookings and renting out our pretty little homes-away-from-home, but, let’s be clear, all of our lives are more important than a holiday.
Right now we need to all do our part to get through this. We can though, make sure we look after ourselves while we do so. Getting outside for that brisk long daily walk will be hugely helpful to you. And if you don’t have miles of golden beaches to walk along right now, don’t worry, we’ll be here for you before you know it.
Have a Happy New Year from all us in Hayle, at Twice As Nice Holiday Chalets.