Two lists

What we just left behind...

I'm sitting on the horrendous Ryanair flight home from holiday typing this on my lovely MacBook Air. I can't sleep because of hideous child screaming his head off... but at least he's not one of my own. The way his father is jumping up and down in the aisle with the child in his arms is making me nervous. The whole aircraft is shaking. Do you think you can actually dislodge a plane out of the sky doing that?

More of what we left behind...

Twelve things I love about family holidays...

1. Being together as a family for two whole weeks.
2.  Being woken by goat bells, cicadas and bright hot sunshine.
3. ,Staring out at the stunning view from the terrace.
4. Not having to tidy the house.
5.  Not having to cook (much). 
6.  Not having to get up to take the kids to school.
7. Not having to put a wash on all the time.
8. Swimming in the beautiful Hockney-blue pool and/or reading tons of books next to the Hockney-blue pool.(You've got to read Me Before You, btw. I sobbed. So fantastic.)
9.  Hanging out with lovely friends.
10. Sightseeing.
11. Night sky (including meteor shower).
12. Having absolutely no clue what’s going on in the world.

Twelve things I don't love about family holidays...

1. Being together as a family for two whole weeks.
2.   Bloody loud cicadas waking us up in the morning.
3. Noisy family in the villa down the hill (the way they scream at each other makes us look like the Waltons).
4. Eating out too much (plays havoc with digestion).
5. Driving (it's the wrong side of the road/we constantly squabble over directions & parking/Johnny Foreigner is a lunatic).
6.  Not taking kids to school and therefore not seeing mum-friends and being able to bitch about any of above.
7.  Not being able to agree about what to do.
8. Other people’s bloody children.
9.  Our own bloody children.
10. Too hot to sleep.
11. Having absolutely no idea what’s going on in the world.
12. Ryanair. Ryanair. Ryanair. (Never again.)

Even more of what we left behind...

Very clear sea, look - fish!

Back home now. Really miss being on holiday. This is me trying to be positive...

The best thing about getting home from holiday? Despite the horrendous flight back and the cold and the traffic and the drizzle and having to unpack and wash twice my own body weight in beach towels and shorts, and urgently needing to buy food, and having piles of bags and crap in the hallway, which take days to clear, and then having all that dreary post and answering all those emails and watering plants and the garden and dealing with family and friends once again, and appointments and admin and then, of course, some work perhaps... there is at last my own glorious, beautiful, comfortable bed to crawl into and fall asleep in and start dreaming about the next one.

So, where shall we go for two weeks, August 2013? 

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