So admittedly this blog post is going to be long but i shall try and include as many photos as possible to break it up. As you all know i have been on holiday for 6 weeks, trying to make the most of my extended summer thanks to the joys of GCSE's. This post is basically summing up all of my adventures that occurred throughout the 6 weeks so i do hope you enjoy!
Arrival
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| Afternoon walks |
Getting to an island at the other end of the country isn't the easiest of tasks but it's so worth the effort. After one lengthy train trip, an overnight stay, two boat trips and a short walk i arrived and i suddenly felt as though I'd never been away and i can't think of any other place where I'd rather go for six weeks.
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And with views like this how can one fail to love the place?
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Constant Change
On a small island any change is always massively noticeable and due to advancing technology the island has to change (in multiple ways) to prevent it from becoming completely cut off. There's no 3G and the Wifi that is available, in places, is slow but i prefer it that way. I strongly believe that society is almost forcing us to fall into a huge hole of technology and now that we're so far into it it's becoming almost impossible to get out, so to be able to escape this hole for a while, is quite nice. For a few days after a severe thunder and lightning storm the signal mast on the main island broke and i was completely out of service, admittedly at first i did the typical teenager thing of freak out because i was going to effectively be stranded on the island without any way of contacting anyone but then as time passed i got used to it and started to rather like the limited contact, i found myself appreciating things a lot more. It scares me to think how easily distracted i can become just because i have the option to sit on my phone! It also meant that i got a chance to spend some quality time with my sisters, without any distractions which then led to me jumping at the chance to take as many photos as i possibly could.
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| A little bit of sisterly love |
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| Morning relaxation and sunbathing before work |
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| Lunch break sunbathing as well! |
Social Sickness
On the theme of change and technology there is always a time when I'm away from friends that i get 'social sickness'. However, I've met that many lovely people this year that leaving the island has led to an even stronger pang of social sickness compared to what leaving the mainland did, it's most likely because i know i won't see many of those people for a whole year if not more, which makes leaving people from up here, for six weeks, sound like no time at all! It's knowing that so much can change so quickly whilst your away from your friends that brings on the feeling but after my time away i am most definitely now a strong believer in the fact that you don't appreciate the best things without experiencing a time without them, at some point.
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The Island Hotel opening night with Lily
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Sand, Sea, Sunsets and Stars
The Sand, Sea, Sunsets and Stars could be a blog post all on it's own but i didn't want to bore you with endless pictures of golden sand, the bright blue sea and beauteous sunsets, so I'll just keep it as a sub-story. I've already mentioned the beauty of this whole place so i won't dwell on that too much either but due to the fact that there is no artificial lighting on the islands, such a street lights, it means that, as long as there are no clouds, the stars are visible almost every night. This therefore means that shooting stars are far from being a rarity and on my late night walks home from working i would quite often just stop and stare at the sky and then finish my walk at an increased pace so that i could get back home and snuggle under my duvet outside to watch the stars until i fell asleep. Ultimate relaxation time if you ever get the chance to do it.
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Just one of the many late night photos i ended up taking.
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Sibling Stories
As previously mentioned me and my sisters have been reunited after far too long apart and the stories that have merged from this holiday will remain ingrained in my mind for a lifetime. In the mornings i would get up and go for a run and without fail Jessica would tell me to "run really fast" and then ask me if i did well enough once i got back. She also got great pleasure out of undoing my shoe laces whenever she got the chance. Amelia is currently at the stage of nearly walking so instead of crawling she sort of half walks so that she's using both hands and feet without her knees touching the floor which is all very cute and the big smile that ALWAYS covers her face adds to the cuteness level by a large amount.
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See, they're both just so smiley!
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Beach Bonfires
It wouldn't be a successful summer holiday without plenty of beach fires/parties and this year was no exception! Beautiful days led into beautiful nights and i met so many perfectly, amazingly, lovely people who i seriously hope i see again next year and also stay in touch with. The beach fires just seemed to get progressively better each time. The moon lighting up the sky, the fire keeping us all warm and the music giving the general hubbub of conversation a background. I have quite easily had some of the best nights of my life with the people i met on the island this summer, staying in contact with them all and of course seeing them again would be a dream come true!
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A beach fire looking ever so nice
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Memories
The memories that i have made this summer will last me for a lifetime. I've learnt so much about living and taking up experiences that i normally wouldn't go for, i feel as though I've gained so much life experience and it's left me feeling so happy and content. I also feel as though I've learnt a lot about myself which i think is a necessity for people my age, especially with all the huge life decisions that have to be made very soon. The memories that I've made with the people I've met are most definitely unforgettable for all the right reasons.
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| Thinking and decision making time is best at the beach |
Homebound
Homebound is a weird feeling for me i definitely got settled back into the whole island living lifestyle again and I'm incredibly sad to leave, even though i get to see people who I've been separated from for such a long time, i can't help but get excited for my next trip down there and the experiences that are yet to come with hopefully many of the people i met this summer and more.
Well that's it... Six weeks summed up into one blog post.
See you next week, if not before.
The small islander x
