Saturday 21st May 2022
It was an early start. We had to put our alarm at 6:30am because we had an 8am appointment at Autoglass. I’m an adult, yay!
It was my first “big” drive since the end of November, and by big I mean a 25-mile journey… I’m just a mess of an adult, ok? Anyways. I was nervous but one thing that eased the anxiety was knowing the roads wouldn’t be busy at this time of day on a weekend. That, and having Andrew in the car with me.
As expected, there wasn’t much human traffic, thank goodness, but the wildlife was a whole other story. I could barely leave the driveway due to laid-back pigeons that couldn’t be bothered to fly and a curious cat that didn’t seem fazed by an oncoming car. A couple of minutes later, a squirrel crossed the road as I was approaching and, for a moment, I honestly wondered if I’d manage the whole drive from the village to Guildford without killing a cute animal.
Once we got to Autoglass, we were welcome by a nice bloke and his apprentice. I had a great experience at their garage and was pleasantly surprised by their communication skills – Andrew and I have been traumatised by a builders company, but more on that later. James explained that they’d try to repair the windshield first and, if they couldn’t, they would replace it. It was fine either way because I’d paid the full excess in advance and that money was long gone. We wouldn’t be back until later in the afternoon to pick up the car as we had some plans lined up and left the vehicule in their expert hands.
The walk from the business park to the Ladymead retail park isn’t particularly scenic but it was such a beautiful morning and I was in such a bubbly mood that I enjoyed every second of it nonetheless. Andrew and I headed to Costa for breakfast and ordered our usual drinks – cappuccino with coconut milk for me and mocha for him – as well as a couple of pastries – a pain au raisin for me and a Bakewell tart for him. Can you tell who’s French and who’s English? 😂
The Ladymead Costa was pretty quiet, which is how I selfishly like it if I’m honest, and the baristas were super friendly. It always brightens my day when I interact with lovely people. It makes such a difference, doesn’t it?
Whilst waiting for our drinks, we noticed the gift shelf behind us and saw some lovely bamboo coasters that were branded and half price. Andrew’s dad’s birthday is coming up and he’s a Costa coffee enthusiast so we decided to queue again to buy them. I then spotted birthday gift cards and I couldn’t help myself. I picked one up and topped it to £25. Coasters are great but a free trip to Costa is a pretty darn good treat, isn’t it?
Our breakfast was yummy! I expected the coffee to be fine but I was actually impressed by the pain aux raisins, both fluffy and gooey. For an English pain aux raisins, it wasn’t half bad!
Andrew and I chilled for an hour, chatting, giggling, playing games on our phone and scrolling. I honestly had the best time… I can’t explain it but it’s the little things, isn’t it? When these moments add up and fill your heart with warmth, living finally starts to make sense I guess.
Later on that morning, after Andrew’s parents picked us up from the cafe, we headed on a countryside walk whilst Andrew’s sister stayed behind to revise for exams she has coming up. It had been a while since we’d done a walk around Pewley Downs, so it brought back sweet memories.
One thing I would always do in the autumn, when the apple trees would drop their fruits on the stony path, is feed them to a super affectionate horse that I called Mr Horse. On that walk, we finally met the owner (and her adorable cat Jaunty!) who not only informed us that we shouldn’t be giving apples – or anything for that matter – to the horses but also that Mr Horse is in fact a lady named Serena! This was a bittersweet encounter but I would never want to hurt her, so please be reassured that the lesson has been learned. ☺️
Guildford is an underrated gem. This not-so-little Surrey town is well-known for its university but has a lot to offer. We’ve got stunning surrounding countryside walks, a lively but quaint high street, great pubs and small cafés, and the remnants of a once-luxurious castle. Guildford was also one of Lewis Carroll’s pied-à-terre, so there are loads of nods to Alice in Wonderland scattered around town, including a Mad Hatter’s Shop, a March Hare pub and various statues of the characters. I will fully take you around town another day but, in the meantime, here are some shots taken on the walk that might give you a little taste of how beautiful the area is (I was really living in the moment so I barely took any photos – most of these are from Andrew’s family – but if I’m going to make this series a thing, I will do my best to take more in the future so that these long blog posts feel less text-heavy and you’re able to visualise what I’m talking about… kind of like a vlog).
For lunch, we had a reservation at Positano, an Italian restaurant situated around Tunsgate. It was the only option that catered to all our food allergies and intolerances with a table that can accommodate five people available on a Saturday. We were having lunch to celebrate Andrew’s dad’s birthday a bit early, so I really hoped the food would be to everyone’s taste. Thankfully, it was delightful. I had risotto ai funghi for my mains and, unfortunately, it seems that mushrooms will have to be added to the list of ingredients that my body no longer agrees with. However, the tiramisu was one of the best I’d ever eaten: it lacked that espresso kick that I love but the mascarpone was impeccable. The service was excellent as well, which again makes a big difference to the overall dining experience.
Andrew and I then proceeded to walk back to our flat as we had an appointment in the early afternoon with Andrew’s friend’s dad who also happens to be a decorator. I won’t go into any detail because this blog post is already far too wordy and the story behind this whole flat shenanigans deserves its own moment. What I will say though is that I am so grateful for how nice, efficient and accommodating Mike is. This is once a breath of fresh air after what we’ve experienced these past few months. I can’t wait to see the flat look a little more polished after it’s been ripped out and roughly put back together.
We’ve been so anxious going back to that flat since repair works started in December – especially to meet the builders or a particularly aggressive neighbour. In the last month, however, we’ve had to spend a couple of Saturdays there cleaning every room with the help of Andrew’s parents and their company has brought warmth back into a place that seriously started to give us the chills. We’ll have to move back in at some point so we’re mentally preparing for that, but it’s been good having some positive presence in there recently. They are sort of chasing the demons away, even temporarily. And, not to sound too British on this occasion, but the weather has also been helping. The sun always makes things better, doesn’t it?
The drive back to the village went fine although the car was an absolute sauna! We even arrived before Andrew’s parents, which I’d never have bet on 😂 I’m laughing but I did misunderstand a speed limit sign so I might get a fine for being completely stupid (I wouldn’t voluntarily go way over the speed limit, especially as an anxious driver!).
I was knackered once we got home and, whilst it was great to spend quality time in town with Andrew’s family and speak to lovely strangers, I desperately needed some downtime with myself. I spent the rest of the afternoon in bed watching YouTube, including Carrie Hope Fletcher’s latest book tour video. It was super relaxing, especially with the birds singing outside and the slight breeze coming through the bedroom window gently blowing on the top of my head… I’m becoming a true countryside girl!
Andrew came to get me for dinner, where we had leftover pasta bake from the night before and pizza from his lunch at the restaurant. We ate in the conservatory and devoured our meal. Andrew’s parmigiana pizza was out of this world so I already know what I’m ordering next time we find ourselves in Positano.
I spent the evening on the couch watching an old episode of Celebrity Bake Off with Andrew and his sister (the one with James Blunt and Joe Sugg, for the curious!). It was chill, but also surprisingly productive. I started writing the first instalment of this blog post series. I only meant these to be journal entries so I could look back fondly on that ordinary yet special weekend. Remember how blissful I felt.
As I was typing, however, I realised that there were aspects of that weekend I wanted to share, from a TV show and board games to the wonderful places you can find in the south of England. Nobody cares about the story around the recommendations I make – and probably only a few care about those recommendations – but I was excited about wanting to. Do you know what I mean? I’m an over thinker with a very low opinion of myself. The severe anxiety and depression I’ve experienced these past few years has made it worst. I will always find a reason not to do something, most likely because everything I do is pointless. So, whilst I am aware that telling the internet bits about my average life as a teenage thirty-year old is futile and not valuable in the slightest, it makes me happy and I hope there is no harm in that. I hope that’s enough to exist on here.
Anywho! I went to bed that night with a heart that could have easily exploded into hundreds of multi-coloured confettis. Earlier that evening, I told Andrew’s family that this had been my favourite day of the year. My favourite day in a very long time, actually. You’d think a week lounging by the pool in a Spanish resort over the Easter holiday would be the best memory I have of 2022 so far but the truth is that our trip to Spain was difficult and overwhelming in ways that didn’t affect me at all that day. That whole Saturday was perfect for me, and this collection of precious moments is what makes me proud to be fighting mental illness and grateful to be alive. I hope I never forget that.
