The School holidays (part 2)

As the car turns in to our street it hits home that the holiday is really over.  Finally we got a week (together ) of doing all the things we wanted to do as a family. We headed of to Nungurner (just near Metung) in the picturesque Gippsland Lakes region and got down to serious holidaying.

Went fishing with the boys and never caught a fish (did catch a seahorse -  but they're not that meaty, nor can you ride on them)

Played golf with the boys

Shaved 15 stokes of my golf game which is great because I was 100 now I'm at 85 ( for 9 holes) and I have managed to get down to only losing one or 5 balls per round.

Went for walks on the beach

and we even found road kill in the car park !

Invented a new toasted sandwich (yep those are cocktail franks and cheese)

and for a short while I was Dad on the Row 

Did some slightly faster water sports

Spent quality time with my family and really relaxed (and of course played UNO !)

As I unpacked the car I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Not because the little dude was asleep. Not because I hadn't hurt myself doing anything dangerous. Not because we stopped the boys having an argument everyday at 0930 precisely after 3 days. 

but for the simple reason that we had now started to create our own memorable holidays.

The Guilt of the school holidays

Put your hand up if your at work right now and the little terrors beloved offspring are on holidays and being managed looked after by someone else.

My hand is up.

I didn't mean for it to be like this , I had every intention of being on holiday with them . But I have an excuse -  something came up which stopped me from being there. The problem is I always have something as an excuse.

I know there will be other holidays right ? And we have the weekends right?

Problem is I really do feel bad about it. School holidays are the one time that you should be together having fun and we have a rule in our family - its not a holiday unless everybody gets to relax.

Remember this post ? I mean it !

I still remember in exact detail the family holidays I had when I was a kid. If you guessed that's because of the ones we did actually manage they were so memorable, you'd be right. When both parents work it becomes a real challenge to get the clan organised.

Driving to Noosa back in the '80s - My Dad getting the tools from the car and unbolting the TV from the wall it was chained to, so he and Mum could watch TV in their room at night while I slept on the couch.

Two weeks in an apartment in Mornington, waiting whilst the rain passed, peering constantly out of the worst colored curtains I have ever seen and we completed a 10,000 piece jigsaw of some obscure mountain.

image courtesy of gold-coast-australia-travel-tips.com

Anyway you get the picture, they're cherished moments (even if they don't seem it at the time).

Things were different when I was younger, school holidays that we didn't get to go away or  get sent to a relatives house, were a chance to explore. We were allowed to go to the cinema by ourselves on the tram. We were allowed to ride our skateboards up and down the street all day.

Now days if you allowed that and your kids were under 14 you'd probably get arrested.

I know my family are having a great time and I know that they understand why I can't be there, but guilt is a funny emotion. It allows you to justify yourself and then creeps back and reminds you with that uncomfortable nagging feeling of uncertainty.

So as I sit here whilst the family are on holidays and I get another phone call from them swearing they are ok with me not being there ( I know they are just saying that) it spurs me into action to not let it happen again.

After all it's not good when I'm left on my own, as who knows what I'll do ?

Bring back the tradition ( please ? )

When I was a youngster there was a tradition. It occurred on Sundays and it was never missed. No , I'm not talking about church (its not that kind of blog) I'm talking about the Sunday roast. Served up sometimes for dinner but mostly for lunch. There was a great deal of formality around this , the arrival ( dressed nicely of course) the pre-meal catch up , the seating and finally the ceremony of carving at the table.

Picture courtesy healthyfoodguide.com.au

It used to vary between Chicken , Lamb and Beef, but the method and the output was always  the same.

Picture courtesy themeatbarn.com.au

Now my Grandparents struggled a bit with the concept of how much food  two growing grand children (both of whom were training in a swimming pool 6 days a week ) can consume. I remember they once served 1 roast chicken to 8 people.
It did not end well , Mum was scraping food off her plate surreptitiously to my sister and I ( we kept returning the brussels sprouts )  whilst trying to keep her wine glass full.
So it was not uncommon for my parents to purchase more food (usually McDonalds) on the way home to keep us quiet and interested in maintaining the tradition.

You all know that I love gourmet cooking and you all know my wife is a kitchen goddess so please don't think I am saying lets get plain , no all  I'm asking you to do is put down that  "Sugar Cured King Fish with a Mussel  vinaigrette " for one day and bring back the roast  (ensuring enough for all ) and celebrate being together with the people that mean the most to us over a simple and nutritious meal.

 And hey, if you cook too much , don't worry,  the leftovers are just as much fun as the roast itself !