Amanda Raine
Vitamin Sea...the Perfect Tonic
Sun, sand and sea air is so good for the soul, especially after 105 days of lockdown.

I’m currently sat on the balmy beach in Cornwall writing this, on our first holiday this year, and our first escape since lockdown.
Like most of us this year, our holiday plans came to a grinding halt because of Covid, with many of us now left very unsure as to when we will be able to travel afar again.
We love our holidays. We have been very lucky to have had opportunities to travel the world throughout our relationship together and have continued to do so since the children have been born. So I think that’s why this break away has felt so special. Don’t get me wrong the time during lockdown has been so special / stressful / loving / long and yet somehow so short that the thought of staying somewhere other than our own 4 walls seemed somewhat like a distant dream never to come true again!
However we had the opportunity to visit Cornwall at the start of the school holidays and after a lot of shall we shan’t we conversations we decided the take the plunge!
The reason for our deliberations has mainly been due to the fact that I have had to shield for so much of lockdown due to an immune suppressing drug I take. This has made the whole situation a little more daunting for me and the risks of being away from home seem like a really big deal some days.
However we did it... and let me tell any of you that are unsure of whether to make plans this year, even a little staycation... if you get the opportunity then DO IT!
I can honestly say that this break has done us the WORLD of good. We don’t live near the sea, in fact we are nearly the furthest away you can be in the UK, and standing at the edge of the ocean has been so good for my soul. It has felt very daunting at times, but overall the relief of being somewhere different, a change of scenery and even change of pace has outweighed my worries. We have of course been super careful with distancing both here and on the journey when stopping for food and comfort breaks, and the highlight has definitely been getting to eat out after so long.
We've made some wonderful memories, Darcy touching sand and the sea for the first time, and sucking every pebble she can get her hands on, George learning to paddle board and buying him his first wetsuit and us all having a snooze on the sand. I feel so grateful.
The people of Cornwall have, as ever, been welcoming and warm and so much has been done to ensure social distancing at every opportunity, even on the beach. This means our trip has been so special. We’ve been able to visit our very favourite restaurant, our favourite beaches and even a mooch around the shops to support all the gorgeous small local businesses. I’ve even had a Prosecco on the beach!
All feelings of claustrophobia from being at home, going on the same walks, closed parks and trying to come up with new ways to entertain the children have just washed away from me. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure people that live by the sea may perhaps take it for granted a little, we all do with the things on our doorstop, but this horrible world of Corona feels like a distant memory... at least for a week.
A x