What I learnt this week: 19th April 2018

A change is as a good as a rest

For many years we went away during the Easter school holidays. Sometimes in search of sun (we didn’t always find it) but always for a break where we could be a family for a days away from home distractions (okay, away from the Playstation….). For the last 4 years though, the Easter holidays have been a time of stress, grumpiness and misery. Yes, GCSE’s and A Levels have really put a damper on them. This year exams still loom – A Levels for my youngest, 2nd year university for my eldest – but I made a unilateral decision (amazing what you can do when you’re home alone). I booked a week in Cornwall. A change of scenery, I thought. Revision within four different walls, with the prospect of escape at the end of the day.

The family moaned most of the way there – for the parts when they weren’t asleep. ‘Bloody long way to go to see four different walls,’ was the general consensus. ‘Bloody expensive way to see four different walls,’ was my husband’s view.

But then we arrived at our beautiful rental house, overlooking a small lake. And from that point on, nobody complained.

During the day we all worked, though admittedly my work, writing, didn’t feel like work as I typed away on our balcony, overlooking the lake. In the sun. Yes, a miracle occurred and the sun did shine on us now and again.

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And later, when brains were at full capacity (umm, so they said) we set off to explore. We made it to Newquay, where I even paddled (no, that isn’t a smile. I’m gritting my teeth as it’s so cold), to Padstow (where the grey clouds were more like we were expecting) and to Charlestown where I’m reliably informed dock scenes from Poldark are filmed. I looked for him, but he’d clearly heard I was on my way and fled the scene as fast as his tight breeches would allow.

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One evening we even bombed down to Lands End, making it just as the sun was setting, after tea in St Ives (of course it was fish and chips).

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So is their a point to this post, other than an excuse to share my holiday snaps? Well yes, just a tiny one. I think there’s something in that old adage, a change is as good as a rest. Only time will tell if the revision done in Cornwall will lead to exam success, or if the words I wrote will lead to a best seller (I hope the two don’t have equal odds, or my sons are in trouble). What I can say is that we all felt we had a holiday, even though we all worked.

I can also say that the fish and chips I had were the best I’ve ever tasted. They, alone, were worth the trip.

 

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