We've booked almost everything

Over the sunny weekend in Birmingham, we managed to finalise almost all our bookings for our trip. We reserved our cabin, we booked tickets for the Grand Ole Opry, we booked our internal flights and car hire and also our stay at the Burn b'n'b.

You never know who is going to be onstage at the Opry when you book. We're going on a Tuesday night, and going on the recent form, some of the bigger stars tend to play on a Friday or Saturday (like Vince McGill, Reba McIntyre) but that's not to say that we won't still enjoy soaking up the atmosphere and taking in some traditional entertainment. You can listen in online, too, here.

We're also delighted with our cabin and looking forward to firing up the BBQ and relaxing in the hot tub. We're also quite curious about what the local supermarkets will be like, and while we're on the subject of shopping, I hear there's a craft community in nearby Gatlinburg where we can browse quilts and wall-hangings to our hearts' content. I have a feeling we'll want to take a little bit of country style back with us.