COTTAGE ROMANCE
Day to day living can take its toll on a relationship; busy schedules can relegate private time with each other to the back burner. What can be a better remedy than slipping away somewhere quiet where you can be the only two people in the world?
Getting away to the cottage can be a spontaneous or planned occasion, and with a little mental preparation it can put the spark back into your love life, or take the passion even higher.
Talk. If you are having problems, this might be more difficult than anticipated. It requires the commitment of both people.
If you aren't having problems, this can be a good time keep connected.
Make it fun; make it a discovery. Make it your goal to learn three things you didn't know about your partner.
Take a long walk. Unfamiliar sites and sounds make a good starting point for conversations; you'll be surprised where it can lead. Hold hands, which leads us to:
Touch. Touch serves both therapeutic and bonding purposes. Western society has moved away from hugging and friendly forms of touching (with reasons) and relegated it to the confines of relationships or therapeutic/clinical settings.
Touch need not be sexual to be binding; a cuddle, a hug, or a kiss all can be stress-relieving as much as a neck and upper back massage.
Allow for non-sexual touching as well as sexual; no pressure / no rejection touching that is purely about building intimacy.
Shower or bathe together - wash each other's backs, fronts, and see where it goes from there.
Take a nap together. Sleeping in the same bed every night is one thing, but how often do you curl up together in the afternoon? This can be a decadent and luxurious treat and represent how very far away from the everyday this vacation really is.
WHAT TO TAKE
Essential oils.
Different scents have different therapeutic effects, transporting you to a long ago time, or bring something new that will become a trigger of the memories you are creating this weekend.
Scented soy candles.
Combine the soft romantic glow of these soot-free candles with the healing properties of the embedded scents.
Environmentally-friendly Bath salts and/or oils.
Depending on the septic system at the cottage, baths may be out of the question unless you can recycle the water.
Massage oils (vegetable-based only), and a massage guide
Mosquito netting.
Even in the winter this can be a mood-setting addition to the bedroom.
Sensuous bedding.
Even if you are renting a cottage with linens included, consider purchasing a satiny finished set of sheets to give that additional luxury to your stay.
Cream or natural slipcovers for chairs and chesterfields.
Especially if you have lived with the furnishings for years, you can give the environment a new and exotic look.
Small gifts.
If you are bringing your gifts as a surprise, make sure they are small, guilt-free items that won't make your partner feel like he or she has nothing to offer you in return or that they are obligated to you in anyway. A gift should be about bringing pleasure to the recipient, after all.
Music.
Bring your favourite CDs, music that you share in common, and something that maybe you don't particularly enjoy but your partner does.