Tuesday, May 12, 2009

So nice to come Home to..

Well, I'm back and shivering with the cold after spending a week in Tenerife, lying in the sun. "Poor you!" I hear you say, or perhaps I don't. Never mind, but 27 degrees was pretty hot, and I actually have a bikini suntan for the first time in years. I just thought "Sod it", and believe me there were lots of women exposing lots more flesh than me by the pool. For example, there were the "two fat ladies" (or 88 in Bingo parlance, I'm sure you get the picture). These two were quite young English women who were absolutely enormous - with powerful shoulders and rolls of fat, all of which quickly tanned to a rich reddy-brown. They had also decided to go topless, and this was quite scary. Somehow, their breasts (pardon me) didn't look like breasts, but like another set of extra large bulges, of which they seemed rather proud. I didn't know quite how to respond to this display, and luckily ABF and I were draped over our loungers on the far side of the pool, away from them, so we were able to modestly avert our eyes most of the time. Anyway, after the first day I had on what looked like a white bikini, while the rest of me was bright pink. Not a pretty sight. But it did improve slightly, and now I have a great tan to start the Summer with. If it ever arrives, that is.

We enjoyed ourselves enormously, eating, drinking and doing nothing, and I managed to read two and a half books. The first was "One Fifth Avenue", by Candace Bushnell of "Sex and the City" fame. It was absolutely wonderful - the perfect holiday read. Being transported to the high life in New York was the best holiday escapism, and I do so admire her ability to make her characters come alive. Somehow, she also makes you feel just what she wants you to feel about these people. You love them or you hate them, but you really believe in them too. I was absolutely there. I didn't want the book to end, so I tried to slow down a bit, but in the end I had to finish it. And now I intend to read it again! The second book was a really elegant little novel by Fay Weldon, called "She may not Leave" - quite a different kettle of fish, and beautifully written too. It has moments when you shiver with dread, in fact it arouses a huge range of emotions. Any woman who has ever struggled with children, child-care, family relationships, sex, work, etc etc, will identify with this. It's wonderful in an odd, quirky way - and it made me reflect on how all our lives are similar, even when our experiences are different. I think Fay Weldon writes brilliantly about women and their lives (as she did in "The Life and Loves of a She-Devil"), and the fact that she wrote that immortal line "Go to work on an egg" when she was a Copywriter, makes her all the more human somehow! The third book is "An Equal Music" by Vikram Seth, which I'm finding it harder to get into. I have a battered paperback copy, which Son sent me, and he said that he couldn't put it down once he started it. So far, it hasn't had that effect on me, but I'll keep on trying.

Home thoughts from abroad.. I didn't miss anyone much, except Grandson of course, but I was so pleased to get home and see that I hadn't missed the wonderful Oriental Poppies in my garden - they are just out now. They look like giant orange papery-silk fake flowers, with dark, black centres, and the bees can't get enough of them. I also came back in time to catch the double white lilac " Madame Lemoine", which I missed last year too, when I was on my fateful trip to France. All I can say is, I'm so pleased that I didn't decide to leave these shores permanently. We may be going through pretty dire financial times, but that's just when we need our family and friends around us, isn't it?

8 comments:

Rob Clack said...

Great that you had a fantastic holiday and welcome home to the UK now that it finally seems to be warming up, even if only a bit!

I disagree about the fat women, though I fess I've spent most of my time agreeing. Over the last 10 years or so, since I've been carving, I've been looking much more closely at women's bodies (sorry!) and concluded that some, though not all, fat women, are just as beautiful as the modern stereotype most of us entertain.

I saw one only the other day, and she was just the embodiment of the Venus of Willendorf.

Completely agree about a good book, too. Just utterly transports you to a different world.

Donna said...

HAHAHahhaaaa...you REALLY should have left the description of the "breast" till last...I laughed all the way through your post, Girl!!!Hahaaa....The books sound good! Glad you had a Wonderful trip!!!hughugs

Reasons said...

Glad you had fun. Welcome back. My friend sent me that Fay Weldon book, I shall dig it out and read it.

family affairs said...

Welcome back, sounds like you've had a great time....thanks for your comments on my recent disaster - most appreciated!! I'm going to buy those books now Lx

Expat mum said...

I love Fay Weldon; must get the book. I totally agree with you about the boobs though.

A Mother's Place is in the Wrong said...

Hi Rob, how lovely to hear from you again. I do know what you mean, when you study a body it does begin to look different - I just didn't get that close! It was a great and very relaxing holiday.
I'll pop over and catch up with life in Cambridge. M xx

Hi Donna, I'm so glad it amused you - and the book is wonderful. I'm sure you would enjoy it - I long to go to New York since reading it. M xx

HI Reasons to be Cheerful, thanks for visiting. It was a lovely relaxing break, and the book is really worth digging out. M xx

Hi Lulu, it's nice to be back really, even if it is so cold! I really think you'll enjoy the books. It sounds as if you could do with being transported at the mo! M xx

Hi Expatmum, nice of you to visit, and I do hope you enjoy the book.
It's only when people go topless that you really focus, somehow!
BTW, thanks for the contact via LinkedIn. M :-)

Anonymous said...

Glad you enjoyed Tenerife, some people just have no shame really do they! I went there a long time ago and found it to be a lovely place.

CJ xx

A Mother's Place is in the Wrong said...

Hi Crystal, yes, I guess that's what I felt - although there was a touch of amusement in there too.
Tenerife was lovely, though we didn't explore too much, but we had a great view of Mt. Teide from our balcony. M xx