G is for Glamping

Welcome to the A to Z blogging challenge where for the month of April we post everyday except Sundays, corresponding to each letter of the alphabet. I've chosen to blog about keeping the romance alive in a relationship along with ideas for married couple dates. Each post will also have a romantic song for you to listen to whilst you read.

Today's music choice for your enjoyment is Marvin Gaye - Lets Get It On.

Todays romantic activity to do together is Glamping - that's glamorous camping for those of us that like a little bit of comfort when we're enjoying the great outdoors. This can be a great compromise if one of you wants to go camping and one wants to stay in a hotel with running water.

Last year we found a fabulous place to stay at Glenshee Ecocamp in Perthshire - set in beautiful Scottish scenery and very peaceful. Additionally, which for me can be a bit of a challenge, there is no wifi, so it's a break from technology and a chance to focus on each other. We're actually going glamping for my beloved's birthday and the Prosecco is packed to celebrate the wonderful man that he is.

G is also for giving, and in any relationship there is give and take - make sure that you give at least as much as you take, but try and give even more. Give your special person the gift of your time, friendship, support, and of course give the gift of your love.

Why don't you try getting away from it all for a while, and if like me you don't fancy roughing it too much, then glamping may be just the thing for you.

Pamela & Ken
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Previous A to Z Posts:

2017 = Golspie

2016 = Graveyards

F is for Festival

Welcome to the A to Z blogging challenge where for the month of April we post everyday except Sundays, corresponding to each letter of the alphabet. I've chosen to blog about keeping the romance alive in a relationship along with ideas for married couple dates. Each post will also have a romantic song for you to listen to whilst you read.

Today's song choice is Tim McGraw and Faith Hill - It's Your Love. Another duet by a married couple which adds so many more layers of emotion to the words. My favourite words in this song are:

Better than I was

More than I am

And all of this happened

By taking your hand

And who I am now

Is who I wanted to be

And now that we're together

I'm stronger than ever, I'm happy and free

Part of keeping the romance alive in a relationship is about keeping the fun alive. and one way we do this is go to festivals together. It's a chance to relax in the atmosphere of lots of people just enjoying themselves. The real world can take care of itself for however long you're at the festival as it will still be there when you leave.

An important part of the festivals we attend is that some are my beloved's choice, usually the music and car festivals, and the quirky ones are usually mine. It's all about sharing in each others interests and enjoying the experience.

We've been to many different festivals over the years, and not just music ones. They've included a Fairy Festival (and yes I did dress up as a fairy), Folk festivals, Cornbury Music Festival (several times), Peace in the Park (which included meditation and tai chi), and a Green Man Festival, to name just a few.

Ken and two ladies he picked up at Peace in the Park

Festival Feet

Sitting in the sun, holding hands, and listening to music or people watching is a great way to reconnect with each other. The festival doesn't have to be expensive and there are even free ones around - Peace in the Park was free and we had such a lovely day.

Why don't you look up festivals near you that you might be interested in attending.

Today's quote:

Pamela & Ken
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Previous A to Z posts:

2017 = Falls of Foyer

2016 = Flowers

E is for Exploring

Welcome to the A to Z blogging challenge where for the month of April we post everyday except Sundays, corresponding to each letter of the alphabet. I've chosen to blog about keeping the romance alive in a relationship along with ideas for married couple dates. Each post will also have a romantic song for you to listen to whilst you read.

Our song for today could only come from Elvis and it is the hauntingly beautiful And I Love You So.

Now when I was debating what to use as my E word I asked my beloved what he thought E should be for. His suggestions were; Erotic, and Erogenous!! Strangely enough I didn't choose one of those and instead went for his one sensible idea which is Exploring.

Marriage involves exploration of many different types, especially as you get to know each other. It's getting to know likes and dislikes in all areas - physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual. I don't mean that you should agree with each others views on the world, as your individuality is what attracted you to each other, but understanding what each of you have as your values and beliefs in life.

Exploring is also about finding out about this world together, having new experiences, and being curious about life. E is also for encouragement, and some of the things we've explored over the years would never have happened if it wasn't for my beloved's encouragement - I can be a bit of a scaredy cat at times.

I hope you haven't stopped being curious about the world or, if you're married, your special person.

This is a perfect quote, and captures what I've been saying:

Pamela & Ken

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Previous A to Z posts:

2017 = E is for English (or not in Scotland)

2016 = E is for Exploration

D is for Dating

Welcome to the A to Z blogging challenge where for the month of April we post everyday except Sundays, corresponding to each letter of the alphabet. I've chosen to blog about keeping the romance alive in a relationship along with ideas for married couple dates. Each post will also have a romantic song for you to listen to whilst you read.

Today's romantic song is Celine Dion - Falling Into You. Beautiful lyrics;

And in your eyes I see ribbons of color

I see us inside of each other

I feel my unconscious merge with yours

And I hear a voice say, What's his is hers

Did you stop dating once you got married? Hopefully not, as dating is such a special part of any relationship. If you're married can you remember the best date you ever went on with your spouse?

My favourite pre marriage date was when my beloved took me to the cinema in Leicester Square in London, bought the biggest bucket of popcorn available, and then proceeded to spill it all over the floor as we sat down. It's my favourite as it made us laugh a lot, and I've never seen popcorn spread so far.

In our eighteen years of marriage it's difficult to pick one date as my favourite, but I'm going to choose the day we spent on Luskentyre beach in the Outer Hebrides. We had a picnic, played games, built sandcastles (see B post), and just enjoyed being the only people there for the whole day.

A great website to look at if you want ideas for fun dates, is the Dating Divas - I love their motto, "strengthening marriages, one date at a time". Check out their website as they have great ideas for lots of romantic things.

Sometimes, when you're really busy you need to make time in your diary for your other half, write it in so you don't replace it with anything else. Go out for dinner, or even just go to your local ice cream parlour and indulge together. Book a date with your person now.

Today's quote is perfect and I couldn't have said it better myself.

Pamela & Ken

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Previous A to Z posts:

2017 = D is for Duirinish

2016 = D is for Doors

C is for Cafe

Welcome to the A to Z blogging challenge where for the month of April we post everyday except Sundays, corresponding to each letter of the alphabet. I've chosen to blog about keeping the romance alive in a relationship along with ideas for married couple dates. Each post will also have a romantic song for you to listen to whilst you read.

The song for today is by Clint Black and his wife Lisa Hartman - When I said I do. Such beautiful words, made even more special by the fact that the two people singing it are a married couple. My favourite lines from this song are;

But forever you and I will be the ones

Who found out what forever means

When I said I do, I meant that I will 'til the end of all time

Be faithful and true, devoted to you

That's what I had in mind when I said I do

One of my favourite forms of date is simply going to a cafe and having coffee with my beloved. Something about sitting in a cafe with people all around can produce the most profound conversations and moments of total togetherness.

We also love people watching in cafes, often debating if other people are on dates or even having secret rendezvous. You can also see all sorts of emotions in a coffee shop (mostly from me) and have moments of great joy. As the below sign says; Life Happens, Coffee Helps.

Holding hands encapsulates the romance of sitting with my soulmate, in our own little world even though we're surrounded by others.

Why don't you make a date to meet in a coffee shop and just have some time to yourselves.

Quote for today which I think fits those moments we spend in cafes.

Pamela & Ken
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Previous A to Z posts:

2017 = C is for Clootie Well

2016 = C is for Cats

B is for Beaches

Welcome to the A to Z blogging challenge where for the month of April we post everyday except Sundays, corresponding to each letter of the alphabet. I've chosen to blog about keeping the romance alive in a relationship along with ideas for married couple dates. Each post will also have a romantic song for you to listen to whilst you read.

Today's song choice is the Bangles - Eternal Flame.

B is for beaches - not the film, but that would be a great one to watch if you wanted to see each other cry. No, I mean the sandy ones that are perfect for long walks, picnics, beachcombing, and just sitting in the sun together.

Boat Harbour Beach, Tasmania

I know some of you are now saying that you don't live near a beach, and I'm going to tell you that it's not a problem. Before we were married we both lived in London and there wasn't a beach close to us, so I had to improvise. For one of our at home dates I bought inexpensive posters of tropical scenes, cooked something you would have on holiday in a warm place, and made cocktails with umbrellas in them - our own personal evening at the beach.

If you do live near a beach make sure you use it. It can be too easy to let life get in the way and you don't take the time to enjoy the natural beauty on your doorstep. Walking along a beach together can be incredibly therapeutic and restorative, time together just being a couple. On our new years day walk this year we saw a young man propose to his girlfriend on the beach, which was beautiful.

Winter beach walk

Another great thing to do at the beach is to bring out your inner child and build sand castles together, or you can each build one and have a competition to see whose is the best. The below two are ones we built many years ago in Tasmania and after taking these photos we got my parents to pick the winner without knowing who had built which one - my beloved came out victorious.

Why don't you make a beach date together soon, even if you never leave home to do it.

Fossil Bluff Tasmania

I'll leave you with this lovely quote:

Pamela & Ken
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Previous A to Z posts:

2017 = B is for Battlefield

2016 = B is for Blessed

A is for Adventure

Welcome to the A to Z blogging challenge where for the month of April we post everyday except Sundays (today's an anomaly as the 1st of the month fell on a Sunday), corresponding to each letter of the alphabet. I've chosen to blog about keeping the romance alive in a relationship along with ideas for married couple dates. Each post will also have a romantic song for you to listen to whilst you read.

Today's song choice is Aerosmith - I don't want to miss a thing from the movie Armageddon (a plethora of A's). This was the second song we danced to at our wedding - I love the words, especially the first verse;

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing

Watch you smile while you are sleeping

While you're far away dreaming

I could spend my life in this sweet surrender

I could stay lost in this moment forever

Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

I guess marriage in itself is an adventure and seeing it that way can help your relationship be a wonderful one. All adventures have moments of great excitement, but also days when things go wrong, and even more days when it feels you're going nowhere, which is what all marriages will have in them too. The trick is to stick together through all of that and treasure all the little moments that made you fall in love in the first place.

Going on adventures together is great and we love visiting new places and finding the quirky things that make that place so special. Wandering away from the main tourist spots will guarantee you memorable moments that will last a lifetime.

On our way to Amsterdam

As a couple, why don't you plan to visit somewhere you've never been before, even somewhere local, or do something together that's a new adventure.

I'll leave you with this beautiful quote from Winnie the Pooh which fits today perfectly.

quoteseverlasting.com

Pamela & Ken
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Previous A to Z posts:

2017 = A is for Aviemore

2016 = A is for Australia