Pic © Nik
It was so lovely to see everyone when the kids and I popped over for our overdue quick-fix visit. I'm sorry I missed some of you, though it makes me smile when I think of those I did manage to catch up with. We all had a great time staying at Virginia's. The kids were a little shy at first, and Elly refused to speak, which I found quite refreshing really :-) but by the Sunday she had got over that and was making up for lost time! Delights of the trip were (apart from seeing everyone, naturally) cafe con leche at the Casal, playing in the park, walking up to school, scoffing churros and smelling some of the familiar smells. It was great to be back 'home' and to see that although all the kids have grown up even more in the 4 months we've been away, most things are the same as ever. Lovely.
Getting back was a scream, and thank you so much Annabel for the lift to the airport. We checked in fine and got through security with Oscar screeching just the once (but quite forcefully) as I tried to put him back in the pushchair... "Pobre," said the Guardia, "esta enfadado consigo mismo. Tiene una lucha interna". I think he was being funny, but you never can tell... anyway, the little bugger's lucha interna tried to externalise itself when we were having lunch, as he picked that moment to begin in earnest the 'running away' phase. Thought it was great, didn't he, to run away out of my sight, in a busy airport, and make me go after him. I know the trick is to not give in to the invitation to play etc but in this vast public space, when one is already receiving looks for travelling alone with 2 small children, one has to show some measure of good parenting and not simply let one's offspring run wild. Fortunately, Elly was a model of decorum and restraint. Thank goodness for 1 good child! as she took great pleasure in reminding me :-)
Boarding was a riot. Almost literally. At Newcastle, the boarding procedure was all Very Well Explained and people did as they were asked and sat and waited their turn. Those of us with children, we were informed, would board after the 'speedy boarders', then all the rest of the passengers would be invited to queue. We dutifully took up our place behind the prickly speedy boarders (well we have paid extra you know) as they showed their passports and were directed... on to the bus. The poor prickly speedy boarders, standing pointedly (or should that be spikily?) at the front of the bus. I almost felt sorry for them, until I had to carry Oscar and the pushchair and a bag as well as shepherd Elly to the plane stairs. And then I didn't.
Barcelona, OTOH, was a total free-for-all! Easyjet woul' like t'nounce de depature... and there was an instant scrum! Thank god for dummies, it is Oscar's 'off' button and meant I could carry him and the pushchair etc etc without him screaming and struggling to be down and away, and we just sort of hovered next to the nervously heaving scrum waiting for the nice lady to let us in. Which she dutifully did.
On the plane, as you do, I sat Oscar on a seat and gave him an ensaimada to keep him quiet. On the journey there, I'd done something similar (as you do...) and we ended up with the whole row of three to ourselves – bliss – so I figured it might work on the return trip. Only it didn't, and when the poor man who came up to the back ended up with Oggis' crumby seat, I did feel bad. But then the air hostess found him a place next to his son and we ended up with all 3 seats after all, hurrah!
Getting back was good too, I had work straight away and we got bunk beds off Uncle eBay for the kids – yay! – bedtime is now peaceful and sleep-oriented, rather than shouty and filled with bed-sharing games. Elly is more than excited, and keeps going up there to play. Fab. But all the exertion of that week seems to have energised me, and I've decided to finally take some positive action as regards Getting Fit. The lovely Ian has loaned me the use of is daughter's bike (thanks Chessie!) It's fab and today Mik and I made use of another Sunday morning sans kids and went out to play. He, of course, is delighted, even though in the 2 hours we were out, whilst I panted and heaved and sweated and sneezed hayfever sneezes he didn't get out of breath nor so much as break into a sweat... ho hum. I have a long way to go both metaphorically and literally, but the weather is so nice, and despite the strain involved, it was really good fun. I really don't feel too bad at pulling over to let some people on foot overtake me, or about the 65- year old gentleman cyclist who beat me going downhill, especially when we totted up we'd done some 20km. I only had to get off once, up a rather steep incline and sort of managed to almost gracefully fall off the bike when I changed gear too quickly, making the chain come off. Compared to the last time I was on a bike – 6 years ago when Mik thought it would be a good idea to take me mountain biking round the St Pere riera and I fell off but didn't let go and landed on my face, putting my tooth through my lip and friction-burning the entire right side of my face off – it was reletively incident-free. I remember my face swelled up so badly I looked deformed :-( I'm sure that was a factor in our being unable to get a mortgage for a tiny little flat we had seen in Vilanova! It was certainly haunting me today.
But it was great. I'm not looking forward to the pains in my legs tomorrow or the continuing saddle soreness, but I will go out on the bike again. Only, that is, on condition Mik promises not to take me across any loose surfaces and stops trying to invent ever-more-challenging rides. Last suggestion was to tow a week's shopping behind him in a supermarket trolley. Any more suggestions - you can keep them to yourself thanks!
Posts
