Category: Holiday

August 13, 2014

Oh The Joys of the Summer Hols… x

You’re watching a film, OK it’s Disney..but actually you’re involved in the story (sad but true)..at the crucial scene (long-lost Anastasia being re-introduced to her frail Grandmother..a real tear jerker. Promise)…there’s always a ‘Mum, mum, I need to tell you something RIGHT NOW.’ Without fail. Truth be told, happens in all programmes..sport – just as they come to the finishing line, the news..the weather! They announce the weather you’ve waited 30 minutes to hear so you can plan the next day – picnic? no picnic?….’Mum, MUM!…’
This also relates to map-reading or any activity that requires your immediate attention…..major road junction and need to hear the sat nav? or need to talk to husband because not trusting the stat nav?… ‘Mum, MUM, MUUUUM!’…
The phone..Mum talking on phone means I must talk to her extra loudly SO SHE CAN HEAR ME.
‘Please guys I need 30 minutes undisturbed’ equals at least six interruptions. Because each one was only a small one…because they didn’t want to interrupt you…
The call of ‘Mum, MUM!’ from another floor followed by silence…that chick-like cry translates to ‘Drop-everything-you’re-doing-even-if-it’s-saving-the-world-because-I-need-you-to-do-something-really-insignificant-because-if-it-was-important-I- would-actually-bother-to-come-and-find-you’.
The other much heard cry: ‘Mum-MUM-I-need-a-wee NOW!’…guaranteed on a motorway but the worst time so far…Eight hours into a drive on Greek roads at 37 degrees of heat, crawling along on single track, snaking, moutainous road with a stream of lorries which we’d slowly and painfully over-taken without being killed. We pulled over and had to watch as each and everyone passed us again..I cried. And Charlie was given an empty bottle for the rest of the journey..
The ground-hog-day morning call of ‘Please can everyone have their shoes on and teeth brushed and everything ready so we can go as soon as I’ve finished this’. You finish tidying the house, sorting the washing, putting the washing machine on, cleaning the fridge (delete/add as appropriate)..and nothing’s happened. And now you’ll be late…
You’re always late.
The ground-hog-moment of reminding them to say please and thank you on loop throughout the day. Like hitting you’re head against a permanent wall. You can remember the date of your birthdays but this is too hard?? It’s the mum equivalent of chinese water torture. Results in No.15.
I say ‘Please can you turn your ipod down’ and I get ‘Well that’s it..I’m just going to throw it in the bin and then you’ll be sorry’. Like doh? Results in no.15.
The more bored they get, the less I want to do with them, the less they are capable of doing except whining at me for being bored…and then I spout all the cliches: ‘In my day…’
Then you book them on a camp or tennis club..and it’s ‘We don’t want to go because we want to stay with you..’ Why???
The longer you take to cook their breakfast/lunch/supper the less it will be appreciated. And cooking three meals a day stinks. Results in no.15…for me..
So you have a picnic and where ever you are, whatever you’re doing, you’ll be handed all the rubbish as if you’re one giant dustbin. Even if you’re driving. Or getting ready to pilot a rocket to the moon..silently, the used lolly wrapper/empty drink carton, sandwich foil are passed over to you… Do I have ‘I am really a bin’ written in permanent ink on my forehead? Results in no.15..
I tell them a certain behaviour will result in a consequence. They never believe I’ll carry it through. But I do every time..and they’re still shocked. Like??
Because of no.15 the consequence usually means we don’t do something nice that gets us out of the house….which means no.11 kicks in…and I’m bored too.
Asking something to be done requires the order in triplicate. And then no.15 kicks in, followed by no.16. And then no.18
The longer the school holidays last, the more I find my brain shrinks (see no.1)
And then they’ll disappear and play beautifully together..
Except the more fun they have…. the greater the mess…
Till it reaches a tipping point of hysterical proportions and you say ‘This will all end in tears’. And it does…

5 weeks down, three more to go….

Laters, Kate x

August 8, 2014

Special Spetses x

My connection to the island of Spetses goes back two generations when my grandparents were first offered land there to build a holiday home away from the pollution of Athens. They’d travelled to Greece from the highlands of Scotland following the depression – the story goes that my Grandfather, Robert Mackenzie, a Classics Scholar, was offered a job sweeping the floor of the EMI factory. Something went wrong with one of the machines and he fixed it..and then rose quickly through the ranks to become managing Director of EMI in Greece at a very special time: it was the cheapest place in Europe to record and make records and consequently drew talent talent from across the board from the Beatles to Maria Callas. My father was born there, although he was sent back to boarding school in the Lake District at aged five..it used to take him two days of travel by plane with a pit stop in Rome to get home, all in a converted Lancaster Bomber.

In my grandparents time, this house was the inspiration for John Fowles’s book, The Magus – he taught English at the once famous school (now a conference centre) on the island, said to be the Greek equivalent of Eton, he would walk all over the island in the quiet of the winter months in search of solitude and ideas. The house was owned by an eccentric millionaire and was then (before the great fire: another story) hidden from view by layers of huge pine trees. As a child, I went there for tea with my Grandmother to be shown faberge eggs and ancient seals. I don’t remember it, but I do remember the millionaire ended up in jail for forging an ancient land deed..with a biro.

Just down the valley is the bay where my parent’s house is…virtually unchanged. This picture is taken from the balcony of my sister’s parents-in-law’s house….Greece lies deep within the family blood and it’s special to have a proper Greek family that has linked the time and generations together.

My sister’s In-law’s house is next door to Madame Pourri’s on the hill – she’ll be ninety this year and is still going strong with a swim every day…….she was evacuated on the same boat with my grandmother and my father as a small child when the Germans invaded in the Second World War…first to Egypt, then eventually to South Africa.

They spoilt us with a treat normally reserved for Easter…roast lamb..my absolute favourite!

Bella and Charlie are now the third generation to enjoy this special place and it’s unique atmosphere, where even walking on water is possible…

Spetses is famous for it’s pine tress, crystal clear waters and the coloured stones on the beaches: yellow, green, pink..each one a gem.

It’s very much an Athenian resort island with a siren call to all the big yachts of the Mediterranean and a play ground for the super rich….but always over seen by Laskarina Bouboulina…an incredible lady with seven children from Spetses who became an General of the Greek fleet and an Admiral of Russia and led the Greek navy in the battle of independence against the Turks….Greece will always be a land of beauty, mystery and contradictions where anything..absolutely anything is possible…

Leaving, as we arrived on a speed boat – we were all sad to go, but we had another adventure ahead of us..to the island of Lefkada…and we’ll be back….it’s only au revoir..

Laters, Kate x

August 4, 2014

A Mermaid’s Tail..

It is said the Aegean Sea is full of mermaids that can sink ships and lure sailors to their doom, including 3000 Oceanids, the mythical daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys and the singing Sirens from the Odyssey.

What is true is that daughter Bella has been enraptured by them for some time, and when her spells (see above and here) didn’t work she resorted (as all modern girls would) to the magic of the internet…

Swiftly followed by the alchemy of then gently twisting her father around her little finger..

In secret cahoots, because they knew I don’t approve of presents without reasons (I’m told it was because she had a good school report..hmmmmmmm) they ordered their bounty (I think from a German website, but this site is the only one I can find that has both the mermaid suit and the shark fin that they sportingly added for Charlie…)

(Except he really wanted to be a mermaid too..)

Mysteriously enchanting, I have to confess, she took to it like a fish to water…particularly evocative was when she dived down and there was a flash of red hair and orange tail, just like the real Little Mermaid brought to life…

Now I can’t wait to see the reaction when she tries out in the local pool here…..!

Laters, Kate x

July 29, 2014

Packing..

I hate packing with a passion..but at least in summer the clothes are the easy bit…all I take are vintage cotton dresses..

As a change this year – yep, I always wear the same ones..I’ve added an edge of neon pink pom poms..

I have all sorts from all different countries..this is one of my mexican numbers..and yes, if didn’t escape the pom poms either..they’re breeding and rather addictive..

My white broiderie anglais kaftan..excellent for wafting in with a trilby and a cocktail..

This is an African number – comes with a full length wrap skirt in the same material. A girl has to have a bit of bling..

My cheesecloth peasant dress with embroidered butterflies..guaranteed never to meet someone wearing the same..

Another Mexican..they’re rather fab and very easy to wear..

The only two exceptions to the rule are my vintage jumpsuits..dress up, dress down they can take me to any occasion..

This one was originally 80’s purple, but it got a dose of brown dye and now it’s a wonderful burnt aubergine colour. It’s silk so does crease, but it’s worth it with a pair of gold sandals..

But I still hate packing..

Laters, Kate x

July 9, 2014

Accessing All Areas..

It’s the last day of school for the kids today before the nostalgia of summer holidays, which has meant the last two weeks have been manic. Sometimes it’s hard to describe that state of continual motion when every minute of the day is converted into action. Even this afternoon: After the presentation of presents to their teachers and almost missing them with cards still to write and hair to do this morning , they’re only at school till 12. Then there’s a joint birthday party on the Common for Charlie, a picnic for Bella – all with their associative jobs – and there’s shopping still to do, the dog to pick up, supper to sort…because tomorrow the kids leave for Greece with their Grandparents – and I haven’t even started packing: If Charlie goes without a couple of stitches in his new swimming trunks his modesty will never survive the first wave. And Bella wants to take one of the tie-dye tops we made – but the arms need shortening..and it was a late mum’s night out last night…..and where are their passports – and are they up to date??

At least I’ve ordered some holiday towels for all of us…we join them in Greece in a week so they’ve still got time to arrive. We’ll then stay for a few days with my parents, before heading off to the island of Lefkas for what I thought was a Greek Glamping experience…i.e. A little wooden house with air-con for the husband….except there seems a little confusion over what exactly we’ve booked. Hey ho, time will tell..

Made the old fashioned way, these cotton towels are hand loomed in Turkey (Don’t tell the Greeks) and are meant to be compact, dry quickly, absorbent and just generally awesome and cool. It helps they’re supplied by a local Company, Sorbet based in SW London..

At least I might have got one thing right..even if my priorities are a bit questionable….!

Laters, Kate x

June 21, 2014

The Mirrorcube and More..

Big dreams and great design…meet the Tree Hotel of Sweden with it’s incredible individual rooms. Located in Harals, near the Lule River about 100 km from Lulea airport they are objects of wonder..

From the incredible mirror cube…an aluminium box, covered with mirrors and attached to a tree with a bathroom, terrace and double bed.

(There’s even an ultraviolet coating on the mirrors that birds can see so they won’t fly splat into it..)

To a floating UFO..

And a Bird’s Nest built for humans..

Inside the Birds Nest..

Or perhaps you’d prefer to be closer to the ground? Meet The Blue Cone..

And it’s stunning interior, embracing everything you love about Scandinavian design.

This is the carriage..complete with viewing platform above..

And it’s insIde.

There’s even a sauna house with outside hot tubs…

In the middle of nature but on natures terms this place sings a lyrical folk song of peace, beauty, exceptional design and understanding.

It’s on the ‘to do’ list…one day Rodders, one day..until then, I’ll just dream..

Laters, Kate x

June 11, 2014

Geo-caching..

Ever heard of Geo-caching? Nor had I until a friend mentioned it..it’s an app that basically uses GPS to find treasures hidden by others all across the world (over 2 million and counting). We used it for the first time on our little holiday..First you see a map that marks where the booty lies, then a compass points you in the right direction and counts down the metres to your prize.

The pleasure is it leads you to unexpected places..the journey is half the fun..

Our trail led us to this memorial dedicated to Airmen from World War 1.

You get within 10 feet of the treasure..then you have to start looking..

Success!

Inside was a log book to mark your discovery.

And then you can choose a prize – as long as you’ve got something to put inside as well..we left some dice! Then it’s time to return it to it’s little hidey hole for another explorer to find..

It’s a fabulous way to add an extra spin to a day…any day!

Laters, Kate x

June 3, 2014

Early Summer Flowers x

One of the hardest things I’ve found as a parent is the relentlessness of it – it’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. With young children even on a ‘holiday’, unless you have the luxury of child care, there’s no time off – the scenery may change but the demands don’t..in fact they’re exacerbated if you’re by water and they can’t swim..or applying sun tan lotion to a moving target..or cursing the lack of toys as the rain comes down..or wondering where the nearest pharmacy/doctor is..or suffering a hangover with a child bouncing on your head at five in the morning..no matter how beautiful the place there’s still meals to sort, cleaning to do, shoes to find..teeth to brush.

But now that Charlie is five, we seem to be turning that parenting-at-the-rock-face corner. And this holiday sort of proved it.

We wanted to know if we could find a back to basics, out on your bikes type of nostalgic freedom where we could let the kids roam free without a care in the world.

We based ourselves in a little holiday park where cars were banned, where there was an indoor swimming pool (although they still had to be accompanied to swim) a tennis court and a small playground and told them they could come and go as they wanted, even (this was the big one) out of sight…they wandered, made friends, played football, played tennis….and we sat outside in peace and quiet and read!! Unheard of…I finished a whole book!

The truth is modern day parenting has made the world smaller, more tense, less happy till it’s almost no better than pretending to sleep. Really..we don’t need the blister. Which doesn’t mean it’s easy to let go – we’ve all read or seen the horror stories. I just believe we need to do it and we need to do it more – freedom, boredom, security, love and benign neglect is a potent combination.