Thursday 15 April 2010

Adventure is our middle name

The Beautiful Children and I have spent the last 5 years going on holiday to our villa in Turkey. That's the point of having a holiday home. It also gets rented out and this gives me the twin joy of actually having enough money to pay for it and blog fodder when I get stories of what people do on holiday. It also means I can avoid decisions as we know the auntie is not good at being decisive.

Ever since the Beautiful Baby Daughter was a baby, we have always holidayed in a villa, we rented them all over the place, the ex mr auntiegwen spent so much time meeting and having to schmooze people at work when he was on holiday he didn't want to make small talk with other holiday makers. This suited me fine, I always managed to get a sunlounger where I wanted it and I didn't have to spend sunny afternoons in a hotel room trying to put a fractious overheated toddler down for an afternoon nap. We just put them in a cot, baby monitor on and back to the sunlounger. We just wanted our own house but with sunshine, ergo buying the villa.

This year our villa is booked solidly throughout the summer holidays (earning money so I can send Eldest Beautiful Daughter to that place where they take all my money and teach my child to drink, I believe other people call them Universities)

I thought The Beautiful Children would be pleased to go somewhere else, I imagined that they would enjoy a hotel/apartment complex and they could meet other teenagers and have someone other than me to talk to. Not so, the years where maybe they would have enjoyed meeting other kids appear to have passed. They all want to go to their own house, at a push they will go to where our house is but in the villa we rented before we bought our house.

Either we have our summer holiday in October when we have space or we be brave and go somewhere else. The suggestions that are possibe are Italy or Greece, those that are getting less possible and quite expensive (in my head that came out in a French accent and with a French laugh at the end) Cuba, Thailand, Dubai, a cruise, South Africa, Antigua or Australia.

I can't seem to please all of them, one wants an all inclusive which is another's idea of the 3rd circle of hell, one wants a villa and solitude another wants a busy place with loasd of people, one wants somewhere we've never been before and another likes our village because they know where all the good places are. This is why I don't do decisions, if it were up to me we'd all be learning to do pilates in France.

Suggestions please, where can the family von auntiegwen go for their holidays.

18 comments:

scrappysue said...

how so AG??? :)

Anonymous said...

No - absolutely. I couldn't have put it better myself.

auntiegwen said...

Sue & Matt - is this an Antipodean thing to try and bemuse the poor old auntie???? It's far too early here for me to be making sense, I'll have another mug of coffee and try again

Anonymous said...

Leave it with the kids. If they can't agree its a wet weekend in Wales for the lot of them!

Elderberry-Rob said...

We have been going for all inclusive lately - everyone can please themselves, despite being surrounded by mobs of people you can take yourself off if you are that type and personally I can be in a crowded room and completely switch off from those around me when I want to (being deaf helps!). The more that is laid on the less there is for mum to do and the less unexpected costs that will arise (teenagers eat and drink for England, don't they!).

Laura said...

I agree with mud in the city, leave it to the kids to decide

Nota Bene said...

I suggest you go where YOU want, and leave the kids at home to fight it out...just a thought m'dear!

Sueann said...

I agree with Nota...go where you want to go! Or better yet!! You can rent my house (in New Mexico) and I will go to a villa in France! I am liking this idea a lot!!
Hugs
SueAnn

Chic Mama said...

Oh no...poor you.I think they should all go where ever you want to go. ;0)

mannanan said...

Come visit the beautiful Island where I live, the Isle of Man. I can't promise sunshine but I can promise peace and quiet if you want it or if it's action you're after visit in early June when the TT races are on. Laid back and lovely.

libby said...

California? ....as long as it's hot and you are all together there will be something for everyone.
p.s. can you ask your young'un to tell my young'un where all the good places in your village are??
thanks x

Looking for Blue Sky said...

It has to be Ireland. You know you love Dublin, and I'm sure you can persuade the beautiful children to love it too :)

Shirley said...

So sophisticated! I missed that train when it went through, so we spend summer holidays working (me) and being bored (kids). If there is any traveling, it involves visiting family hither and yon. Italy? Greece? Turkey? Shut up!!!

Anonymous said...

One of today's newspapers says the impact of the volcano nuisance could drag on for 6 months. How about a Staycation?

Jon Storey said...

Heathrow Airport is looking good at the moment!!

If anyone else goes to Aus. I will be reduced to tears.

Tuppence said...

I'd say go for the pilates in France - it will be good for them!

There's a little something for you over at my blog (ooh-err, that sounds a bit dodgy but it isn't!).

http://tuppennytales.blogspot.com/2010/04/sunshine-bloggers.html

Have a lovely weekend.

T
x

Mrs Worthington said...

The good old holiday dilemma. Do what you want to do, you can't please everyone so you may as well please yourself. I have just been given the self same advice as I have a son who wants go away with his friends and not with me. A daughter who doesn't want go with is friends and me who just wants to go away. I give up.

auntiegwen said...

Mud and Lolly - I would happily let them choose but they can't agree!

Mrs Y - I thought the all inclusive was a good idea too

NB - do what I want????? erm, I'd have to do an assertiveness training course first! and if I left TBC at home, would I have a home to come back to?

SueAnn - ooh maybe we could house swap? I tried to run that by my friend Shirley, how cool would that be, a great big bloggy house/life swap

Chic mama - I know they should, and they would but I would prefer them to be happy as I'm really not that fussed about where we go

mannanan- I spent many years going to the Isle of man as a child, I demented my mother by wanting to spend every day at the United beach Mission, a kind of holiday club with added God

Libby - America was mooted as we've been lucky enough to have been there a few times before

LFBS - I would like that, 2 weeks exploring with a good few days in Dublin, I've not been to the countryside in Ireland for years and I used to go often as a child

Shirley - it's only because it's easier to get places in Europe because it's small. When we went to Paris it only cost £55 return, and you have been told that you and yours are welcome to me anytime

Anon - I was quite excited to get an anon, I hardly ever get anyone I don't know, hello and welcome to you :) a staycation is I think what we'll be having in July and then a visit to our house in Turkey in October school break, and I'm hoping that things will have settled down in the next 2 weeks or my blog will be full of my mother and stress as she's due to fly to Turkey beginning of May !

Jon - I know, I've been reading all about family affairs and her trip, and her extended stopover in Dubai!

Tuppence - yep, just the thing a 15 year old lad wants is 2 weeks doing pilates with his mother! Thanks for the award and tag, I've got a few of them to do, I will get get it done soonish x

Mrs W - let's leave the lot of them and go somewhere we like !