The packing for our holiday next week is going well, and by 'well', I mean that I have packed and then unpacked the holdall 3 million times (OK - so I tend to exagerate!!). That is not bad for me, considering that it is Wednesday and we are not going away until Monday......
I think that my problem with packing (of any sort), stems back to previous holiday disasters....
Quite a few years ago now, before getting married (and then divorced) and having children, I went on a girls holiday to Cyprus. Those were the days, before kids and eating too many cadburys cream eggs - where I weighed about 7 stone!!! SO - my suitcase was full of bikinis and little dresses etc etc, ready for the Cyprus sunshine. I spent alot of money on that holiday, on clothes, shoes etc, and I was really excited about having 2 weeks away, sun, sand, alcohol (you get the picture!!).
There is only one problem when I go abroad on holiday, and it is that I hate flying.....well, it is not the flying part really, it is the taking off, landing and any bump or turbulence that may happen inbetween........The urge to ask for a parachute and jump out of the plane is one that I have learnt to control over the years!!!
The Cyprus holiday sticks in my mind for a few reasons.......
Firstly it was a mega bumpy horrible flight and I remember looking out of the window at one stage and there were mountains below (with snow etc!! - no idea where we were!!!!), and in my irrational "I HATE FLYING" state of mind I thought
"Oh god, I hope that we don't crash now, all I have in my suitcase is bikinis and it looks cold down there!"........Like Yeah - that would be the least of my worries after plummeting thousands of feet......
Secondly, it is also the holiday where my beloved suitcase and everything inside it was never re united with me in Cyprus...yes, you got it, they lost my suitcase and all my lovely new bikinis and dresses. Still to this day, some 16 years later I have never had it back and have no idea what happened to it....god alone knows where it went.
I had to spend the whole 2 weeks borrowing clothes off my friends and had to buy some very hideous underwear (we wont go into that now!!!). I still had a fab 2 weeks - but it was of course tinged with sadness for my lost case full of goodies....
I found out many years later, from a friend - that they sell off unclaimed suitcases after a certain period of time - BUT how could I claim it? when I never even knew where it went ...
I cannot deny that the thought of some total stranger opening my case and having all my lovely unused holiday stuff was not nice!!!
Back to this holiday....hopefully it will have no major hiccups (why did I say that?...maybe it doesn't count as I didn't say it out loud...), we are not going on any planes, so there should be no lost luggage, no terrifying flights and no chance of crashing on snow covered mountains....just a lovely, relaxing (unlikely with kids...), week away in Devon....in (hopefully) -
the sunshine.......If only I could fit all our stuff in the bloody suitcase!!!!
I saw this quote on another blog site recently, and I really liked it, so thought that I would share it .....
Be who you are and say what you feel,
Because -
those who mind - don't matter,
and those who matter don't mind.
(Dr Seuss)
It really made me think.....so many times, when I feel like shouting and screaming and generally having a mad paddy fit, I put a smile on my face and when anyone asks how I am, I just give the standard reply of "FINE".
Maybe next time, I will just scream and shout and have that paddy fit!!!
(and watch as everyone runs out of the school playground - to get away from the mad woman ha ha)!!!!
A few weeks ago I went on a night out (a very rare occurance these days!!!), to celebrate my friend, Natalies, 4oth birthday.....
There were about 18 of us on this night out, we went to a local chinese and had a lovely meal, I decided to drive (due to the bad weather, didn't want to pay for a taxi etc...), and parked where everyone else was parking, in the Aldi supermarket carpark. Before leaving the car, I checked for any signs saying that I could not park there etc etc (hate the thought of getting clamped or towed away...), but saw nothing (in the pouring rain and wind and cold - it was blowing a hurricane....well nearly!!!).
WELL.......this morning, a parking fine has arrived for £70 (yes you read that right £70!!!!!!!!!), because I stayed in the carpark for more than the alloted hour and a half........I didn't even know that there was a time limit, as I didn't see the sign.....and as they are stating that they have photographic evidence, I can't even dispute it (not that I would!!!).
It being April 1st, it did cross my mind that maybe it was a cruel April fools joke, but sadly this was not the case, when I rang the number on the form and got the most obnoxious person I have ever spoken to on the other end (who happily informed me that if I didn't want to get a fine, I shouldn't park there.....doh!!! Yeah - I know that now!!!)....
Anyway, I will pay the £70 and never ever ever park in that car park again (or shop at Aldi again.....just out of principle and the fact I am in a bad mood again now - ha ha!!!!!)......
So, happy April Fools Day everyone! Hope your April got off to a better start than mine did!!
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