Why when you've just had a long and relaxing holiday, you just want to go back for more the minute you set foot back in your home? Don't get me wrong I love my home and my life. I love coming back to my own bed and my stuff. I love pushing the door and picking up the mail that has been gathering in a messy pile, as long at it is not bad news and tons of junk.
I hate unpacking as much as I hate packing though. I have tried to unpack everything the day following our arrival, but failed miserably and as usual, we have one bag sitting here, with all our main belongings and for the next few days I know that we will be living out of a suitcase in our own home. I always do this!
So what happened during this holidays? Well lots of things!
It started off with the christening of the boys, which was the perfect occasion to catch up with family and friends. Mum was a star! she organised that party like no other and should be granted the award of the best event/party organiser of the year!! Of course I am not forgetting all the other members of the family who gave up some of their time to help cooking and organising. Thank you all of you!!
The rest of the holidays was a succession of meals as delicious as the weather. Watching our boys devlopping new skills such as drinking in a glass without major spillage, going up the stairs like a big boy and perfecting the tigger growl for Elliott and running, going up the sofa (but not knowing how to get down without diving head first) and growing new teeth for Victor.
There are quite a few things we've learnt during these holidays. These are:
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When Christening medals need to be blessed at the Christening in France, it is better to have them with you in France, not in the UK.
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Children really don't like being dipped head first in a bowl of water by a guy in white robe.
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There is no need bringing 3 books and countless number of magazines on holiday when you are going with 2 very active children, especially when one just learnt to run but not to stop yet. You end up running more than lounging reading, trust me.
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When you are in a house with as many pigmies as adults don't think you could sometime have a lie in (even just sometimes).
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The French really are loud, or is it just the ones I share genes with?!
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Don't think that because you are going to a gite in the middle of nowhere in France you will automatically feel in France. If the gite is owned by an English couple there is a great chance that they have English TV and Radio rather than French. Afterall it is only a matter of plugging the arial in the wall for French TV, I am sure that it is much easier than fixing the satellite on the farm wall... anyway at least we had CBeebies and I even managed one episode of Eastenders, so not so bad afterall.
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Try not to drop the buggy with baby in it in front of witnesses, especially if it turns out that you know them! It can be very embarrassing...
Can you believe that visiting the Ile de Re for the day, we sat right next to Metropolitan Mum, Big M and Little L?!! How spooky is this? It was lovely to share coffee and ice cream with them and see Little L who's grown so much and is so pretty! -
Under no cicumstances trust the digital petrol gage of your car, it could be misleading you into thinking that you still have petrol and leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no phone signals and no tractor in sight... OK, in our case we were just 500m from the most gorgeous and expensive little restaurant. Well at least we had a nice lunch while waiting for help... ermm nice, I am not sure considering that Craig could not move a facial muscle and smile or talk for at least 2 hours!
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Always remember to feed children before boarding a little tourist train at 11.30 am, only to find out on board that the journey will last 1h15! By doing so you avoid screams, tears and begging child asking for ANY food you might have hidden somewhere and that you don't want to give him beacuse you are SO MEAN! This while the other one who can't talk yet, expresses his discontentement by shouting and bouncing so hard that he nearly bounced off the train a couple of times...
This said, it was probably was one of the best holidays so far. We shared it with family and great friends and it was very regenerating. Holidays are really the best time to switch off from the everyday clutter that stops you from seeing what really matters. It also helps figuring out where you want to go and what you want to do with your life. So just for this I am ever so grateful to have been able to take this break...
