I have always struggled a bit with the concept of holidays. I think it goes back to the stressful family holidays we went on when I was a child. My mum is the first to admit that she is a holiday-phobe! She doesn't enjoy travelling, foreign food, sleeping in someone else's bed, using someone else's toilet or being away from home. Frankly, it rubbed off! I'm a bit of a travel-phobe and get very worked up about the whole concept of holidays.
My current dilemmas are multitudinous:
- It has been so glorious that I feel I should be packing for sunny, warm weather. However, knowing my luck this taste of summertime will retreat to be replaced a cold, wet front. (I am the only person to have been to Tenerife in July and have it rain everyday, and also when I was in LA it was the coldest and wettest it had been for over 30 years!) So I'm not sure if I should be packing sun block and shorts or raincoats and wellies. Consequently I'll take twice as much as I need for each and every one of us. That is a mountain of clothing, accessories and sundries. Add to that the pushchair, travel cot, potty, Ella's guitar, food, laptop (in case there is wi-fi), cameras etc. etc. there will be no room for me in the car!
- Then there is the worry about the security of the house.
- The hamster.
- Whether I've got enough Diesel to get to Ashford given that the crazy panic buyers have sucked the pumps dry.
- Food...being vegetarian in France equates to pizza, cheese, bread and pasta. I can't even take advantage of the wine because I'm tee-total!
- I worry about the travelling. I get sick!
- Terrorism.
- I worry that I've forgotten my rudimentary O'level French and won't be able to ask where the nearest toilet is when Fred needs to go!
- I worry that Fred's shaky sleep routine will be disrupted and he'll be up until 3am.
- I hope the accommodation will be nice.
- I hope the kids will have a nice time.
I know that once I am there I'll be fine. But before then I just need to pack for five, clean and tidy the house, do a load of washing, make dinner, organise passports and travel documents and sort out things to keep my toddler amused. I've procrastinated long enough. I'd better get cracking or we will be in panic stations by tomorrow morning!
So wish me a Bon Voyage and if I get a Wi-Fi connection I might be blogging on location!