Holidaying

Around this time last year I was in Cornwall holidaying with my grandchildren.  Come to think of it the weather then (mid Summer) wasn't very different from what we've been experiencing here lately in Winter. What I remember most from this trip, however, was how I came  to appreciate the joys of parenthood more keenly.

Observe a father taking his near-teen daughters on a half-term holiday.  See how number 1 daughter strides confidently off 50 yards in the lead with a number 2 daughter in rapid pursuit, while father valiantly struggles to steer the small procession from behind: establishing destination, setting direction, purchasing tickets, managing mountains of luggage and carefully supervising your global grandparent, who is always to be found a considerable distance to the rear.  Along footpaths and platforms, over footbridges and steps, along tunnels and corridors, down escalators and up stairways, in and out of trains see them go.

And after their big adventure of an 8 hour trip in the overnight sleeper-train to St Ives ends, it’s off again the next morning.  Along roadways and cobbled streets, hilly climbs and snaking descents, down narrow alleys, across sandy beaches, through amusement arcades, ice-cream parlours, sun-hat and bikini shops, flip-flop stores and all kind of diverting places on and on they go from 8am to 2pm in 11C and a stiff Atlantic breeze until finally the father guides them into safe harbour ---their hill-top hotel at last open for business.

Welcome to the family room: 2 single beds and one double crammed into a smallish room with no space over for 3 cases, a back-pack, three day-packs, 2 teddy-bears, most of number 1 daughter’s school books (for revision), vast amounts of clothing and more to come  ---new sun-hats, wet-suits, flip-flops, hoodies, beach-spades and so on.  On examination the bathroom leaves something to be desired  --- the hot water is suspect, the toilet flushes sometimes, the shower curtain collapses on top of number1 daughter, the light only works intermittently and, during the night, the water for the whole hotel is accidentally turned off and our family group is left with no possibility of ablutions to start the day.

Let’s leave our family group there  on the eve of blissful days on the beach and holiday fun---with number 1 daughter immersed in internet surfing (on global grandparent’s ipod) and number 2 daughter creating a video about a monster (on global grandparent’s mobile phone)  And the monster?  Father, of course.  He, who will all too soon lead them and their massive luggage back on three trains to London (one of which will take one and a quarter hourslonger than normal) and, in desperation, a taxi for the final leg to Greenwich.   Once there, as a matter of course, he will then cook the dinner, organise bath and hair-washing routines, put daughters to bed and read bed-time stories, before reaping his reward---a good night’s sleep in the only available space:---sleeping-mats on the floor.