It’s 2009!
Happy New Year to all our Laterlife readers. Before those final chimes of Big Ben had faded away, did you make any New Year resolutions?
It is thought that over nine million adults make New Year resolutions every year, with over 80% of them breaking them before the end of January!
While a few of us decide on some quite unusual or decidedly challenging resolutions (change career, run a marathon) most of us appear to be very predictable. According to the most recent list, put together by List Universe, the most popular resolutions last year were:
1. Spend Time with Loved Ones
2. Get Fit
3. Lose Weight
4. Stop Smoking
5. Enjoy Life More
6. Stop Drinking
7. Get Out of Debt
8. Learn Something New
9. Be More Charitable
10. Reorganize Life
Nothing too dramatic but all very worthwhile. This year could see a difference with debt management rising up the list.
Other lists of top ten resolutions have included items such as makeover the garden and learn to cook better. One list we really liked was put together by EnjoyEngland and some of these ideas could really add some new fun to our lives. I attach below their top four tips; full details are on the EnjoyEngland website.
1) Get outdoors more often
Even in mid-winter, there are some great reasons to get outdoors in England. Brace yourself, and break those winter blues.
Mountain Skills Course, Lake District
Get to grips with ice axes and crampons. Learn the art of winter hill-walking, in the Lake District.
www.wildridgeadventure.com Bookings & Enquiries: (01228) 549354
Conservation Break, Forest of Marston Vale
Get outdoors and do your bit for the environment at the same time: join a team of conservationists in the Forest of Marston Vale to plant trees or cut back reeds and Hawthorne scrub. Fresh air, exercise and good karma, all in one.
www.marstonvale.org Bookings & Enquiries: (01234) 767037
Canal Boating
Make the transition from urban to rural in the most leisurely way possible – by canal boat. England’s canals and rivers reach into the heart of most larger towns and cities, bringing an often unique cross-section of the countryside right to urban door-steps. A great way to spot wildlife.
www.waterscape.com Bookings & Enquiries: (01923) 201120
2) Try something new
We all need to spice up our lives every now and then with something completely new. Here are a few suggestions for some great, if unusual, activities; all of them follow on from the previous theme (just to make sure you do get outdoors once in a while).
Bushcraft Course, Ashdown Forest
Awaken the hunter-gatherer in you, and hone your bushcraft skills. Among other things, you'll learn fire lighting, foraging, setting up camp, and awareness of your natural surroundings.
www.bearclawbushcraft.co.uk Bookings & Enquiries: 07761 089155
Falconry Course, Audley End House, Essex
Come face to face with a magnificent bird of prey – an owl or a hawk – then learn how fly it from the glove. You'll also discover the history of falconry and learn how falconers train and care for birds of prey.
www.english-heritage.org.uk Bookings & Enquiries: 0870 3331181
3) Take more day trips
Get out there. Live for the moment. Be a daytripper! With so many great destinations in such close proximity, England is made for day trips. Here are a couple of watery options to help get you thinking...
Farne Islands Boat Trip Seahouses
Take to the sea on a boat trip to the remarkable Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast. The archipelago, which constitutes one of our most important wildlife refuges, is home to hundreds of species of sea birds (including puffins) and a colony of grey seals – the rarest seal species in the world, and the largest surviving carnivore in the British Isles.
www.farne-islands.com Bookings & Enquiries: (01665) 720308
Broads Wildlife Centre, Ranworth Broad
This floating wildlife centre is set on the edge of Ranworth Broad in Norfolk, complete with excellent views and an exhibition on the Broads and how they were created. A boardwalk follows a nature trail from open water into woodland and fen. Look out for butterflies, dragonflies, swallows and great crested grebes, among other birds. A great introduction to the Norfolk Broads.
www.waterscape.com Bookings & enquiries: (01603) 625540
4) Indulge, once in a while
Turkish Baths & Health Spa, Harrogate
Visit the Turkish Baths in England's premier spa town, Harrogate. Work your way through the three inter-connecting chambers – the Tepidarium (warm), the Lapidarium (hot) and the Laconium (hottest), before relaxing in the elegant Frigidarium. To top it all, indulge in a spa treatment in the adjacent therapy rooms.
www.harrogate.gov.uk Bookings & Enquiries: (01423) 556746
Taste Break Three Choirs, Gloucestershire
Enjoy a 'taste break' at England's leading single-estate vineyard, Three Choirs in Gloucestershire. Enjoy modern British cuisine prepared by a team of expert chefs, with glorious views over the vineyard, plus, of course, plenty of top quality wine.
www.three-choirs-vineyards.co.uk Bookings & Enquiries: (01531) 890223
Losing weight is always one of the
top New Year resolutions.
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