New year new start and all that. With the worst economic crisis since 1929 an impending recession, seven month old daughter and a wife that works for HBOS, yes that HBOS, I’ve decided to take the entirely sensible decision to go back to full time freelancing for a living.
Inspired by Dave and his good lady wife we’re going to spend February travelling with the baby. Sadly, our travel plans are a little less international but we are stopping off in all all the home nations, well actually England, Wales and Scotland sorry Northern Ireland.
Were have no fixed itinerary yet but we are going to try and get all four corners and the Isle of Wight in and hopefully some friends will be able to point us in the direction of a nice Travelodge and Happy Eater. Hint, hint. Armed with nothing but a car full of baby crap and lifetime membership of English Heritage and the National Front Trust we’re going to point the steering wheel forwards and drive to the next stately home or ‘any reasonable time’ set of ruins and enjoy the country for a while.
I’ll be able to work thanks to my trusty 3 Mobile broadband but essentially we’ll be hippy types for a month. Albeit hippy types with a Honda Jazz and credit cards and mobile broadband but you get the point, I hope.
So, if you’ve got any suggestions as to where to visit with a baby please do let us know. The only firm destination we have so far in Monkey World, don’t ask. In essence the world is our lobster but in reality the south west of England and North of Scotland are going to be the main tramping grounds as we’ve already done most of the middle bit. London will, of course be on the list but not for too long as we’ve been there and done that too.
If you don’t have any suggestions as to where we should go perhaps you have some writing work that needs doing that I can help you with. I’ll have to get my ideas cap on and start bothering commissioning editors with some features too I suppose. Other than that I’m 20 working days away from having no fixed income at all which, like I said at the start of this entry, should be ok especially in these free and easy economic times.
It’s clear from this family photo that the only one having any second thoughts about my madcap plan is Niamh. Such insight for a baby.
That all sounds fabulous to me, especially the bit about Monkey World. And at least with freelancing you’re depending on your own efforts, rather than relying on an employer. Ah, it’ll be fine!
Being a foot-loose and fancy-free type, I have no ideas about baby-friendly places, but if you’re heading to the south west, I must buy y’all a collective pint in Bath. And you are more than welcome to avail yourselves of our spare room for a week; it has a very comfy sofa bed than can sleep two moderately comfortably, but you’d have to bring some sort of cot for Niamh.