Blog #Family holiday

Post Christmas can usually feel a little glum but we had Maisie’s birthday to celebrate at the beginning of January. Sproutings of snowdrops and daffodils gave me joy throughout some of those dreary days and then we were lucky to go on a sun holiday in February. Today is March 1st and the sun is out. I hear more birds singing in the garden which is abundant with swaying daffodils and narcissi. Maisie is loving playschool and she’s busy at home too, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of two older siblings making for a busy, noisy, sometimes stressful but generally fun and loving home.

It’s our last day in Lanzarote and I’m relaxing on our balcony feeling the warm heat on my face, looking out at gently swaying palm trees, the blue sea in the near distance. The chirping of birds overriding any noise from the pool. I feel good. My knees aren’t sore. I feel genuinely relaxed, savouring each moment before everything gets busy again. Maisie is napping, Evie is at a kids luncheon and Tom and his dad are at their favourite café. I started to write this post a day into our holiday and whilst I was enjoying the same view, I felt a bit uptight. It can take a couple of days for everyone to settle in and the only way we’ll enjoy the holiday is if the kids are happy. Even when they are, it’s never plain sailing but the good memories usually outweigh the tricky ones and we’ll go home yearning to return.

May 2022..two years without a sun holiday abroad, first world problems I know but I was never more excited about a holiday than this one. Lockdowns and Covid restrictions had meant that at the height of the pandemic we couldn’t go beyond 5km from our homes, and although we enjoyed the odd trip to Donegal it’s wouldn’t be the same as packing a suitcase and venturing off to a warmer climate with the pleasure of being somewhere different to switch off from the hum drum of family routines.