30/11/2023

First family foreign holidays

Forward to Hugin – Back to Opposition, territories…
Back to Anecdotes Index – Back to Home

One very strange incident occurred when we agreed to take our family holiday with another guy working in Xerox’s Bristol branch and his family.

This was our first overseas trip as a family We visited Estartit on the Costa Brava in a rented apartment near the beach. We agreed to take it in turns to buy the essentials and apart from two nights when we would hire a babysitter, we agreed to take it in turns going out either until 20:00 or after. It seemed to be a fine scheme.

We tended be up earlier than them and go to the beach and hire a couple of sunbeds. When they joined us later his wife would grab my chair as soon as I moved, and when we left for lunch he would grab Jane’s bed. They refused to buy their kids ice-creams so we had to decide whether to deprive ours as well, or feel guilty as his children watched our enjoying theirs.

Me with kids at Estartit

We made sure we bought the basics promptly when it was our turn but they didn’t and their definition of basics was also very different from ours.

When they had the early turn in the evening they were invariably late back and we were left hanging with four children.

Immediately after our return to England, he took out a second mortgage on their home, bought a sports car and promptly left his wife and young family! Obviously we had been experiencing their marriage’s death throes.

We have been careful about shared holidays since!

Forward to Hugin – Back to Opposition, territories…
Back to Anecdotes Index – Back to Home