A Year In Review: 2020

Well, 2020 – that was quite the wild ride wasn’t it? A year you want to forget, yet a year you’ll always remember. And not fondly. The annual Year In Review is usually the post where I reminisce about the trips we’ve taken. Events we’ve attended. New bars and restaurants that we’ve visited. This Year In Review – like everything else in 2020 – is unsurprisingly a bit different.

So instead of recalling all those exciting places I’ve been this year (the lounge, the kitchen, Coleshill High Street) and food I’ve eaten (banana bread. And cheese. An unusually high amount of cheese), this is an opportunity to reflect and share some of my thoughts on 2020: A Year For The History Books.

(Remember those nostalgic days when we got excited about goats taking over a town in Wales? Those were the days…)

A Brummie Abroad in 2020

(Cue tumbleweed)

I’ve left the country just twice this year. And went to Wales. Twice. And only when we were allowed. I haven’t been on a plane since returning from Cologne in December 2019. In fact, since moving house early this year, I doubt I could even lay my hand on my passport.

Carefully made plans for Japan were cancelled. Not without moments of worry and anxiety, as we waited for the second of our two flights to be cancelled. And then the company we had booked our flights through failed to communicate with us for weeks. Eventually though, we were reimbursed for almost every element of our trip, thankfully not leaving us out of pocket. I packed away the travel guides, knowing I have a fully curated itinerary in place for when we are able to travel.

In the summer, with the introduction of “travel corridors” we could have travelled abroad. But even the thought of a week in the sun couldn’t balance out the uncertainty and anxiety of an ever-changing crisis. Not so much the destination, but the travel in particular. Airports. Planes. Transfers. Public transport. So we decided that 2020 would be the year of the staycation.

A Brummie in the UK in 2020

International travel may have been off the cards in 2020, but when lockdown lifted, we soon booked our first trip. Albeit just 70 miles away in Shropshire. We made up for lost time. We booked an August trip to Llandeilo in Wales, with a stopover in Herefordshire on the way. Our May railway carriage stay was rescheduled for my birthday weekend in September. Ma and Pa Lee invited us to spend a couple of days with them on a socially distanced mini break in Polperro. And we managed to squeeze in a Peak District stay, and another visit to Herefordshire before the second wave started to restrict our movements once more.

COVID still scuppered some of our UK plans. After abandoning plans to visit the Baltic States for our November wedding anniversary, we booked a luxury hotel in London. A step up from our usual Travelodge or Premier Inn accommodation when we visit the capital. But with news of the incoming tiers, and ever changing restrictions, we cancelled in favour of a posh at-home celebration meal. And our hopes of our first ever Christmas morning beach stroll were dashed too, as we sadly waved goodbye to our cottage on the North Yorkshire coast.

It wasn’t the year we had planned travel-wise. Yet we had wonderful days; drives out in the summer to the Cotswolds, to sunflower fields and strolls in Peak District villages. I climbed a mountain. We discovered walks from our own doorstep which took us into countryside and farmland within 20 minutes. And our favourite day of 2020 was our day spent in Southwold. When everything almost seemed normal. Promenade strolls. Local beer and gin. Fish and chips. And trying not to be blown off the pier by gale-force winds. The best of the UK seaside.

Travel in 2021?

At the moment we haven’t made travel plans for 2021. Certainly not for the first part of the year, and certainly not too far afield. If UK travel gets the thumbs up, then we would love to do a proper road trip in Scotland – Clazz of An Orcadian Abroad has given me lots of ace ideas (especially this blog post on island hopping from the Isle of Mull).

In an ideal world we’d be rebooking our Japan travels, planning a visit to the Italian lakes and booking up a riad in Marrakech. And hopefully international travel may be back in our plans for the latter part of 2021. But until it’s safe to do so, A Brummie Home and Abroad will be staying closer to home.

A Brummie at Home in 2020

When Mr Fletche and I finally moved into our new house in February we had no idea we would be spending quite so much time in it. In mid-March, our respective employers suggested that we temporarily work from home – and neither of us have been back since. After a short period working from our dining table we converted the cloakroom into a tiny one-person sized office. Mr Fletche works in the spare room. Or from bed.

Thankfully we had moved in, and had the majority of our furniture delivered before the first lockdown. We appreciated not only having a garden, but also a wisteria covered “yarden” as the weather started to get warmer. Once DIY stores opened up again, I gave our boring grey garage a lick of paint. When Pa Lee was finally allowed round to visit, we requested that he bring his tool box and gave him a list of jobs to do.

Lockdown became something of an excuse to indulge. I used the excuse of “supporting local business” to order food, drink and brownies at every opportunity. We tentatively ventured out to Brum in August, to 1000 Trades, Dishoom and to Otto Pizza. And then we returned for a final hurrah in October, when you could still get a drink without a substantial meal. I managed to squeeze in an afternoon at Flight Club with Pa Lee (as a thanks for all those DIY jobs!) and lunch in Kings Heath with Ma Lee. All socially distanced of course. And a boozy Britpop brunch at Night Owl with the girls. All socially distanced of course. Mostly. My camera roll begs to differ.

Keeping A Brummie Entertained in 2020

I’ve always been a big reader, and lockdown has given me even more excuses to curl up with a book. I’ve followed recommendations and suggestions, and read books that I wouldn’t normally have considered. We’ve streamed DJ sets from some of our favourite venues like The Night Owl, and fallen down Northern Soul rabbit holes on Spotify. I’ve listened to musical theatre soundtracks – some old favourites and some of the shows I’d hoped to see in 2020.

And speaking of theatre, I’ve taken advantage of the offerings on YouTube’s The Shows Must Go On channel, and on Sky Arts. From my own sofa I’ve watched Phantom, The War Of The Worlds, Frankenstein, A Streetcar Named Desire, Kinky Boots, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake and more, all for free. A Disney+ subscription gave me the opportunity to watch Hamilton again and again. And in order to support the arts, I’ve paid to stream shows, including Rent, Mischief Comedy’s Mischief Movie Night, and The Nutcracker, filmed at Brum’s very own Rep Theatre. I miss live theatre though; seeing Book of Mormon just days before the March lockdown seems so far away now.

And we’ve watched TV. Oh, so much TV. I’ve loved Schitts Creek and Succession. Ghosts and Community. Normal People and I May Destroy You. The Mandalorian and Us. Cheer and Tiger King. We rewatched Life on Mars, swiftly followed by Ashes to Ashes. I finally got around to watching Peaky Blinders. And I rediscovered a love of Casualty.

A Brummie Home and Abroad Gratitude List

Despite everything there have been highlights, and things that I’m grateful for. I’m grateful that:

• I’ve stayed healthy, and my loved ones have stayed healthy. Even during a global pandemic.

• We had the chance to have a proper send-off for my father-in-law back in February. An opportunity that many people have sadly been denied in 2020.

• Both Mr Fletche and I have been able to work from home throughout 2020. In fact, I popped to the office to pick up some post just before Christmas and got lost driving there. Despite only living 10 minutes away.

• Technology has allowed me to stay in contact with workmates, friends and family. Even if we all have a bit of Zoom fatigue. Also WhatsApp. My GIF selection is always on point and deserves to be commended.

• I had the opportunity to finally finish my Copywriting Qualification and finish with a distinction. And also to continue learning Italian on Duolingo. I’m on a 270 day streak. But still can’t say much more than “The man in the purple trousers is a clown”.

• All the money clawed back from our Japan trip has been added into a high interest savings account and earmarked for future travel. We’ve also been able to add to this fund over the year. Maybe at some point we’ll actually be able to use it.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look back over 2020. Are you making plans for 2021? Let me know in the comments! I wish you a healthier and happier New Year, whatever it may bring,

Emmalene xx