As some of you may recall, earlier in the year Mark, Ray and I produced a short video outlining some of our aspirations for the year ahead. One of my aims was to spend time with my family in the UK at some point during the year, and with that in mind I made plans for an October visit. Usually a trip to the UK coincides with Christmas, however this year I thought it would be nice to arrange my visit around a few family birthdays.
Despite the expected seasonal weather at this time of year, there are far worse places to spend a couple of weeks than the English Lake District, where the majority of my family reside. Fortunately, the weather gods were rather kind towards me during my stay, and we were able to take advantage of the beautiful surroundings on our doorstep.
The birthdays were rather contrasting in their celebration. My Dad turned 67 with relatively little fanfare, the usual family dinner and a couple of scotches to round out the night. My Nephew’s 5th birthday on the other hand was anything other than sedate! Starting out with a horse riding trip for the kids, there was then the anticipated party which left the house looking like a tornado had torn thought it by the finish! The celebrations were rounded out with a trip to Jumpmania (imagine a huge hall full of all variety of trampolines and games). Admittedly, I was probably more exhausted than the kids by the end!
Aside from the formalities, the trip was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family and switch off from the hustle and bustle of day to day life. For me, it further reinforces the importance of taking time to understand what is important to each of us, and allocating the resources that those things deserve.
Adam Drinkwater, Financial Life Manager
To all at Treysta wishing a good Christmas and happy New year. John and Kathleen Smith.Adelaide