Friday, May 05, 2006

Pre-holiday chaos

It's 9.23am and Eliott is still in the land of nod. A day on the (hot, sunny) common put the zap on him. I hope he adopts this policy on holiday - while he's a regular 8am man, a few lazy lie-ins in the old villa will provide a welcome treat.

So far Eliott is the only member of the family who is packed and ready to go. Although I'm owed several thousand pounds for all this hard work I've been doing, I haven't seen a sniff of it yet and am going away in last year's holiday gear as a consequence. Unfortunately, last year's holiday gear is so far unwashed, unironed, unpacked. And I have no spending money to speak of.

It reminds me of a holiday I went on with my Dad when I was a kid. I didn't save a bean (I've always been unprepared) and the £20 my mum gave me before I went, was rapidly spent on magazines and make-up in Manchester airport (I've always been uneconomical). I spent the entire holiday saving up loose change from fetching my dad beers and using various methods to con bits and bats out of him with the aid of my stepmother. By the end of the holiday I had enough cash to buy a Kappa jumper (I've always been a tart).

I'm just about up-to-date with my work now (and have the 2am eye-bags to prove it). I can go away safe in the knowledge that I will have at least 500 emails to come home to. I wish we were going for a month. The amount of preparation we've had to do, we might as well. Still, a break is what we need and my single valium for the plane has arrived (allegedly, a quarter will see me right). It's big and blue and lives in its own tiny case - it's much more dramatic than the piddly Diazepam the doctor prescribed (I've always been a sucker for packaging).

I'll leave you with the startling news that I voted Conservative for the first time in my life last night at the local election. Of course I wanted to give Tony a "bloody nose" and all that, but have also become old and right-wing enough to appreciate that we, in Wandsworth, have the lowest council tax in the country and an absolutely amazing selection of free - and affordable - activities for children. My hand shook as I made the crosses and I felt positively sullied all night.

I've always been a turncoat.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bet it took you a while to confess that you voted Tory! Have a great holiday.

Glowstars said...

If they're doing you a good job, they're doing a good job. The colour of the badge ain't gonna change that!
Hope you come back rested and relaxed!

Anonymous said...

Great post JoJo. Hope, when you read this, that you're back from a calm, restful holiday and flight.