Our Everyday Journeys: Last Month
sharing what's working, what we're enjoying and where we've been
Photo: Swansea, Wales, Louise’s iPhone, June 2024
Welcome to the June edition of Our Everyday Journeys: Last Month. This is where we take a break from our usual content, and give you more of a personal update on what life is like for us at the moment, what’s on our minds and more.
It’s been a while since we’ve written one of these combined posts and for some of you it’ll be the first you’ve received. The idea of these is to give more of a personal glimpse into what we’re getting up to in real life outside of our travel guide posts here on Substack and our YouTube vlogs.
As you’ll have seen last week, we’ve just returned from an entirely impromptu trip to Mexico with the two youngest of our five children - spoiler, we loved Mexico - and are in the throes of planning our next big adventure which starts in a couple of week’s time and, full disclosure, I am a little nervous about!
In the meantime, here’s what we’ve been reading, listening to and finding interesting this past month!
Photo: June evenings in Hereford, Louise’s iPhone, June 2024
Mark’s everyday musings this month:
📕 He’s been reading: I was suggested this book when attending a CashFlow101 session and I’m glad that I followed it up and ordered it from Oxfam. This book is all about negotiating, not in an arrogant way, but one where you can go into a conversation with someone else and be confident that you have the skills to achieve an outcome that you are happy with (hint, it is not about 'winning'!). So if you find yourself negotiating with your teenager to tidy their room, give this book by Stuart Diamond a chance.
🎧 He’s been listening to: I have been very music based lately, getting into work mode with a mix called 'Bike Ride' on Apple Music. It has everything from The Cure (Friday I'm in Love) right through to Kim Yaffa (Once Bitten) and everything in between. Getting me ready for RAGBRAI! 🚴
📺 He’s been watching: What else but Baby Reindeer on Netflix! I say no more than that, if you have not yet been swept up by this series I seriously suggest you get onto Netflix and binge. 😳
Photo: Swansea Half Marathon, Wales, Louise’s iPhone, June 2024
🎯 He’s been working on: There are a few things that I have been working on recently...
1 - Getting back to the running. I ran a half marathon in June that I needed to get race ready for. I ran nearly every day for 30 days and it paid off! 🏃
2 - I am also working on a little side hustle with a mate of mine which is a DIY dog wash local to us here in Hereford! Watch this space! 🐶
3 - Getting ready for RAGBRAI... the cycle ride across Iowa state in the USA in July (this one I am definitely less ready for)! 🚴
🥳 He’s excited about: RAGBRAI '24...think I may have mentioned it previously!
Photo: NOT our Ragbrai bikes, Tulum, Mexico, Louise’s iPhone, June 2024
Louise’s everyday musings this month:
📗 She’s been reading: I have phases of reading a lot and then not picking up a book for ages, and I’m currently in a reading phase with a pile of books by my nightstand that’s getting taller not shorter! I’ve just finished ‘Between Two Kingdoms’ by
and when I picked it up in Mexico I couldn’t put it back down. Suleika tells the story of her journey through a life-threatening leukaemia diagnosis at age 21 and what almost dying taught her about living. A difficult read at times, but an incredibly inspiring story.🎧 She’s been listening to: Like Mark I am a fan of an Apple Music playlist and my current choice is Morning Coffee. I pop it on when I first go downstairs in the morning, switch on the laptop and start my morning brew. I’ve been letting my job cause me a little too much stress of late and so this simple morning routine is part of how I am trying to slow down a bit and not rush into my day.
📺 She’s been watching: I’ve been trying to catch up on
and her son Largo’s vlogs documenting their hike on the Appalachian Trail over on YouTube. It was Jessica and her family who first inspired us to walk the Camino de Santiago back in May 2022 and with our adventure riding across Iowa in July coming soon, I’m finding their resilience and commitment to feeling discomfort really inspiring.Photo: Tulum, Mexico, Louise’s iPhone, June 2024
🎯 She’s been working on: Trying to slow down a little! We’re always super busy, juggling work, two businesses, family, travel and everything else, and lately our pace of lifestyle (and my personal inability to slow down) has taken its toll on my health. With two bad migraines in a row, a nasty cold, and then another, I have been making a much more concerted effort to slow my pace a little, stop trying to do all the things all at once and live a little more in the moment. It’s a work in progress!
🥳 She’s excited about: The obvious thing I’m excited about is our trip to the US in a couple of weeks’ time - a mixture of excitement and nervous apprehension if I am honest! After that, we have some really exciting plans for the rest of the year moving into 2025 - spending some time in Mexico gave us the chance to talk about what we want to do next, in life and in business, and so I’m very excited about what’s in store!
Photo: Well-earned rest time, Tulum, Mexico, Louise’s iPhone, June 2024
So what have you been reading, watching or listening to that you’d recommend we try? Leave us a comment and let us know!
Where are we now and where next?
Right now we’re catching up on work and day-to-day life back home in the UK before Mark and I set back out, alone this time, to the US where we’ll be riding Ragbrai in July, Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.
After that, we’ll be recovering at home for a while! We’re hoping to squeeze in two more little trips this year if we can, plus getting some time away in Lilibet our vintage motorhome while the weather is still good.
Stay tuned as we continue to share our everyday journeys with you. Your support and engagement mean the world to us!
As always, buen camino! 👣
Louise and Mark
x
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Have fun with RAGBRAI!! It's close to home for us and we've talked about doing it in the past but just haven't worked it in yet. :)