A change....

......is as good as a rest

I don’t think I have laughed so much and so hard as what I did over the weekend. My stomach and cheeks still hurt.

I took a little trip over to the Isle of Wight to stay with my mum, stepdad and younger brother who are on holiday for the week in a lovely little caravan, right on the beach near Brighstone. I have my sister staying with me because she didn’t want to go on the family holiday because it is “boring” and they go there “every year... do the same thing and go to the same places” Despite her feeling this way, we headed over to the island early Saturday morning for the weekend and caught up with mum, Sam and the dog on the beach. Mum looked so pleased to see us, I know how she loves having her brood all together, just such a same we were missing one.

We did the usual: walking, pub lunch, stroll along beach, afternoon nap (well I did, I need my nana naps!) and dinner at the local pub followed by drunken games of I Spy and Charades.

Here are the highlights that made my belly split:

My mum leading us on a walk to Steephill Cove (the name of the cove is more than obvious!) with the promise to my stepdad (who had a knee replacement 2 years ago and still struggles) that there was a pub at the bottom where his efforts down the hill would be rewarded. There wasn’t. She was thinking of somewhere else.

Whilst having a pub lunch on Saturday afternoon (after walking back up from Steephill Cove) My younger brother, who actually says very little – just grunts (he is 14) stated, how he thought it was clever how the pint glass had a map of the IOW on it. I was drinking a Fosters shandy – apparently Australia and the Isle of Wight look the same.

We had dinner on Saturday evening at a very nice homely, traditional pub and as we were all tucking into our meals, the silence was interrupted by my stepdad, who, as he leant forward to put a fork full of fish and chips in his mouth, broke wind. There were two tables of people behind him. He blamed the dog, Lucy who was crashed out under the table. We couldn’t eat for sometime through the laughter and tears. I have never seen him so embarrassed.

There was the field full of cows who were overly friendly and transfixed by my stepdad, now named the Cow Whisper.. It was funny but a kind of ‘had to be there’ moment so I won’t try and explain.

Back at the caravan, more wine was opened and the games started. I Spy had never been so interesting with one guess being a ‘blue veined chicken’. Erm.. in the caravan?? I think not. We then moved onto Charades which sister Flossy made up as she went along but her Antiques Roadshow was the best and had us rolling about on the floor. My Jungle Book went down pretty well too.

It was such a good break and just what I needed. I feel refreshed and have certainly got some of my head space back thanks to the 7 mile beach walk and the laughter. Sometimes, family is all you need.

Old Photo

This is my Nan and Granddad
I love this photo. It looks like a hot summers day. I imagine them driving for a day out by the sea, the air hot and humid. Tempers rising in the heat as granddad gets lost; him shouting at nan because it is her fault ( it never was!) Nan muttering 'Oh shut up Arth'
I imagine them reaching their destination in silence, but being calmed by the smell of the sea air and the sound of the waves and as a peace offering, Granddad walking over to the ice cream van to buy two cans of pop, then him handing her the can and they sit, perching on the back of the car, supping pop in the sunshine.

Secrets

I have been thinking about how well we actually get to know friends and family. Aren't there always secrets? The unwritten rules of what is discussed and what it not, but why, to protect those closest to us, because we are embarrassed about people knowing what we really feel, or maybe because it has gone unsaid for so long that to tell and share now would be ludicrous. Keeping that little secret has become a way of life, it is now easy to keep things from those that you love, it comes naturally. Perhaps there is the worry that if people knew now, they would not forgive the years of concealment.
But what happens when you are made aware of this secret, when you are entrusted with information which is life changing for all involved. Do you bury the information and never mention it again or do you share and tell someone. Sometimes the information is too big to ignore, once it is inside your head you feel like you are going to explode. It excites yet fills you with anxiety.
I know things about people and it makes me feel sad because they can't be who they really are, not even when they are in the company of those that love them the most. Everyone knows that there is something being locked away, deep in the soul. We just accept and acknowledge that it is just the way things are, it is just the way they are.