NY Diary...2

Day 2.

Today was The Husbands day and he had a jam packed itinerary for us. First was Ground Zero which was thoroughly moving and we all felt very sad whilst looking at all of the hundreds of names engraved around the edge of the memorial waterfalls.








We then walked to see the Statue of Liberty which proved to be a jolly exciting moment for The Whirlwind as he had always wanted to see her ever since Ghost Busters the movie.
At one point I had to practically rip The Teenager away from some very dubious looking man who was selling sunglasses from a sheet.....any excuse to shop.



Then we were off to Wall Street where I suddenly realised that my toe was really hurting, not only was it hurting it was bleeding too. I leapt into full mummy mode and found a pharmacy purchasing some plasters and a pair of toenail clippers as I feared it might of been my little toe nail digging in. (I must explain at this point that I am not some grungy women who allows her toenail to grow to extraordinary lengths.) I have a very unfortunate little toe that looks like a little alien stuck on the end of my foot, it has a horrible little nail that sometimes digs in to my next toe.
Once my suspicions had been confirmed I found a suitable place to snip and cover my wound. Unfortunately I chose the steps of the Husbands company to do this medical procedure and only realised this as we stood up to leave, he then worried that they might of had face recognition and would get sacked for defiling the company steps by showing my alien toe......I put this moment of insanity down to the fact he was still in some type of shock about the taxi ride.

We stopped at a Diner for lunch and ate our entire body weights in pancakes, bacon and maple syrup. The Whirlwind commented in a very loud voice that "Its a good job we don't live here or else we would be as fat as houses" it was at this point a sudden hush swept over the Diner as all eyes glared at us......"Check please".





Grand Central was next (I wonder if you are exhausted reading this as we were walking it) and I had to remind the kids there wouldn't be any wild animals running round just in case they were expecting a scene from Madagascar the movie. The Whirlwind was hoping to see the famous clock stuck on a giraffes head and a hippo dancing around.




The New York Library was next and they both stood at the top of the steps actually hugging each other...This city is having a remarkable effect on them. Actually looking at this picture I now see that he is hugging her....At least she is smiling.
As we arrived back at the hotel after walking the whole way home (Hubby was doing anything not to get in a cab again) we hobbled in like we had just run the marathon with no training. The kids were moaning, I was moaning and The Husband was elated at the completion of his agenda.










Finished the evening off with a foot soak before going out to a gorgeous place for dinner. Whirlwind was thrilled when his burger was bigger than his head and The Teenager was overjoyed at no only having free Wifi but the waiter asking her if she was a model.........The Husband at this point muttered something about cheesy lines and proceeded to shoot him filthy looks all evening.

Day 2 had been exhausting but brilliant and I could not wait to get on with the next day.

Come back tomorrow for Day 3.

Thanks for reading
Lots of Love
Me
xxxx

NY Diary..1

Yippppppeeeee !!! I said out loud as we landed in the good old U S of A. I wanted to be excited about our forthcoming holiday, wanted to join in with the kids enthusiasm and should of been getting butterflies in my tummy but all I could think was "Thank God that plane journey is over".

The 7 1/2 hour flight had felt like 4 days but I had made it.....And, I had made it with no tears. This had been mainly down to being upgraded for no apparent reason other than they had to fill the business section and the Hubby had a shed load of air mile thingys. And what a difference it made, nicer seats, pillows, many complementary drinks and a big newspaper that I always find impossible to read as its so large and flappy.

The flight was completely smooth with no hint of turbulence which I convinced myself was because we were in the "poshish" section. As we landed and began our departure of the plane I had this overwhelming urge to thank every air hostess that I could clap eyes on....A bit like when you have a baby and you feel the need to invite the midwives for dinner and feel they should be godparents to your brand new little bundle just because they helped you push a human out of your Minnie Ha Ha.....





As I reached the door I felt the need to express my thanks once more and said to the final air hostess "Thank you so much, it was a lovely flight, I'm usually terrified and that was the best plane ride I have ever been on" (I probably waffled on much much more than that as The Hubby shoved me from behind to hurry up) The hostess replied "Yeah funny that me too"..................WHAT!!! What the hell did that mean???? Was it just a fluke we had made it and was the flight on the way home going to be horrific????? Why would an air hostess say such a thing ???

After pulling myself back from the brink of a nervous breakdown I threw myself into the best holiday ever and even managed to forget the forthcoming flight home.

Rather than boring you all with lengthy memories in one go I am going to do a Blog type version and break it down into little chunks over the next few days.

Day 1.

Hailed our first yellow cab, journey involved being driven at the speed of light dodging in and out of traffic and included much slamming of brakes. The Hubby gripped the seat whilst checking the kids seat belts several times.
On arrival at hotel The Husband and Whirlwind had to sit down for 5 minutes to regain some colour in their cheeks and make sure the entire contents of their stomachs didn't suddenly appear before entering the hotel.



Room was great aside from an adjoining door to the next room which housed 2 extremely loud Americans who may as well been in with us.
By the time we went out we knew that he was called Larry and she was Clare and they were staying for 2 nights (this was as long as he got his head out of his ass and helped her unpack apparently according to Clare). Left the room to go exploring hoping they stayed angry with each other all night and didn't feel the need to "make up" later on.

Went to Times Square and found the Diners Drive Ins and Dive bloke of the telly (Aka Guy Fieri) restaurant to have dinner. Had our first taste of America with the most enormous dinner ever and encountered our first "Are you from Australia" comment from the waiter, not sure why they think we are from there but its something that tends to happen a lot. I then decided that it was because we were not talking like Wills and Kate and for some strange reason only known to me I then adopted her accent for the remainder of the trip.







We then had a slow walk back to our hotel to unpack and have baths etc etc....... Although we had landed at 12 midday it seemed like we ha been here forever and I was going to enjoy every minute of it.

Come back tomorrow for Day 2.

Lots of Love
Me
xxxxx

De-Stress Dad....The Final

The Husband awoke this morning too the sound of a cat being strangled....Oh no hang on....That was me singing Happy Birthday to him.

We had a cuppa in bed whilst he opened all his cards. It was a little strange not having the kids here but once I had phoned home to the The Northern Mother and discovered that they were both still asleep and probably very grumpy due to a very late night and too much sugar I decided that actually it was quite nice just being the 2 of us for a change.




We headed off for breakfast and got accosted by an elderly gentleman named Herbert who was in his 90's. He then proceeded to tell us how he single handedly fought off the Germans at Normandy and how he now lives his life to the full and was a multi millionaire. The Husband (who loves all that war stuff) found it all very interesting, I on the other hand was starving and was desperate to get some food inside of me before I wasted away .....( oh if only).

My ears did slightly prick up when he introduced us to his wife Cindy who was 26 if a day and was from Thailand. He clearly adored her and she in turn may of adored him but we sensed it may of been of been something else that she loved.

We discovered that they were staying for a month and that she was spending most of her days having various treatments while he just milled around chatting to people. This did make me wonder if she might of been older than 26 and had just had so much collagen that she just looked younger.

Each to their own and all that !!

As I write this final post we are sitting outside in the most comfortable sofas ever drinking coffee. Cindy and Herbert have just got into the jacuzzi and The Husband has announced that if he has to look at her fornicating over him for much longer he may bring his breakfast back.

Personally I think he's just jealous.





Final Word Time.
This place is amazing and holds people from all walks of life. There are loads of couples, groups of women and even a few people on their own. There are a few gorgeous people here who are recovering from illnesses and are staying here for 6 months or more. I have even seen a couple of famous faces and many not so famous faces.

It is certainly not cheap but it has been worth every saved up penny.

I now find myself in a totally awful situation/dilemma. Do I come back next year with The Northern Mother and friends or do I come back with now fully converted Hubby who has had so many treatments I fear he may turn into a woman.

DECISIONS DECISIONS.....Well, I don't really have a choice do I.........

I will have to try and do both.............Good God I better get saving now.





Thanks for reading

Lots of Love
Me xxxxxxxxxxx

De-Stress Dad..Day 2.

After a less than restful night due to The Husband being so relaxed he snored like a Wilder beast with chronic asthma (even with my earplugs in I could still hear him), I thought about sleeping in the lounge area on the sofa or even in the copper swing outside but then realise that I would then have to get up to hit him instead of just rolling over and doing it.

We headed down for breakfast in our robes, it still feels a little strange all this wandering about in a dressing gown. I keep having these urges to flash someone just to see their faces but decide against it in the name of health and safety.

As I write this post we are sitting in a sort of conservatory area which over looks the outdoor jacuzzi, The Husband is contemplating getting in and I have decided I will just dangle my feet in due to the spray tan I had yesterday. He sits on one side and I on the other in our robes"are you getting in then?" I say to him. "Nahhh, think I will just paddle like you" he replies. This all went a bit wrong when an enormous lady gets in and creates a tidal wave that soaks our bottoms and robes. She is oblivious to the sogginess of us and we leave mumbling under our breaths.

It is now 12.55 and we are waiting for our therapists.....The Husband has no idea that I have booked him a different kind of massage (after he moaned that there was no way any of the girls here could give him the type of massage he liked).....So I had organised a deep tissue one administered by a Russian sounding lady.......He can sense something is going on as I try not to snigger.........12.58...Its nearly time.....1 O'clock...Here we go..............

To say I am disappointed it an understatement, I imagined a kind of Ma Larkin/Russian Shot putter type of person but the lady that emerged was far from that. In its place was a tiny Chinese women in her late 60's who looked remarkably like the baddie from Johnny English Reborn. My devious plan had fallen flat on its face and the only thing I was grateful for was that I hadn't told him before hand.




I sat feeling quite deflated (Oh how I wish my tummy would feel deflated) whilst I waited for him to come out, suddenly a figure appeared from behind a door. It was to be a sight that forced me to clasp my hand over my mouth to stop any escaping laughter.
There he was, walking as if he had just done 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. His shoulders were hunched and he had a sort of rabbit in the headlights look about him. His Chinese counterpart went to shake his hand and say goodbye but he almost recoiled at the thought of touching her and just said thanks.

As we walked......Well he kind of hobbled.......He exclaims that although she was small she had the strength of Godzilla and the speed of Maradona. He had wanted a deep tissue massage and boy had he got one.

I suggested a gentle walk outside in the grounds to unwind but strangely he declined.

The motto of this tale is.....Be very careful what you wish for...

See you tomorrow for the final part.

Lots of Love
Me
xxxxx

De-Stress Dad Time..Day 1

After a slightly fraught journey to our destination due to The Husband yelling at me that after 4 years of coming here I should know the way by now. That in itself is a total joke, if you read my past blog called Don't Follow Me I'm Lost Too  you will see that very rarely (and I mean rarely...like only if mine of one of the family's life depended on it) do I actually drive anywhere that is not within my own town. So expecting me to take notice when I am a passenger is beyond crazy.

All tensions are forgotten as we enter the sweeping driveway to our little bit of paradise for the next 3 days. The Husband does a little sigh and the relaxation starts to very slowly creep into his brain.

Once checked in we head off to lunch followed by a quick tour of the place. It is quite a long walk round and The Husband suddenly announces that he can already feel his tummy expanding after the pulse heavy lunch.......OMG I THINK HE'S GONNA BLOW !!

We both sit patiently for our therapist to arrive and we happily chat and giggle about wind..AGAIN...I can see a pattern of conversation emerging.

As the clock strikes 3pm a wave of rather beautiful looking ladies appear like magic. Here they are, the little angels who will bring my Husband back from the deep realms of stress and hopefully ease some of his anxiety.



It is at this stage that I notice The Husbands face, I am not entirely sure if he's still worrying about his wind problem or in fact the delight that may be hidden beneath his frown lines at actually being given permission by his wife to go off with these size nothing blonde girls in a dark room and be touched by them. I quickly put this out of my mind (as a Taurean, jealously is not a good side of me).

After 55 minutes of sheer pleasure....(He has had an Indian Head Massage and I have had the slightly gentler Head In the Clouds massage) we meet back in the waiting area. As he wanders through the door I am conscious of the fact that he looks like he has been smoking something naughty, eyes are glazed and a dopey grin has emerged on his face. "I think I might need to sit down" he says "am I supposed to be feeling this relaxed". In my Taurean head I want to say "well that depends on what she did" but shake myself and just laugh.

Currently sitting by the pool now watching him plod up and down whilst making a terrible Water Polo right arm splash (they all do this). Have just noticed some bubbles come up from behind him.........Oh No!!! ........

Come Back Tomorrow For Part 2.

Love Me
xx

Final Day

Awoke at 5am to begin Operation Nab The Good Sun Beds. It never ceases to amaze me many people are up at the same time doing the same thing. The plus side to getting up at ridiculous O'clock is that you get to see the most beautiful sunrises. The Husband and I sit on the balcony and chat away with a cuppa.

We sit and watch the hotel opposite us as people gradually come out onto their balconies like little birds in nesting boxes. Each person has their own story, some happy and some sad. People just fascinate me, think they always have. Some like to train/bird watch but I like to People Watch.

As we sat there a Chinese couple walk below us and suddenly stop dead in their tracks, they look at each other and promptly begin a very passionate embrace. At one point we actually thought they were going to go the whole way. Their moment was spoilt by The Whirlwind who flung the patio doors open and exclaimed that he had just done the biggest poo ever and that he felt much lighter today.

The Husband and I who already felt like a couple of voyeurs dived inside before they looked up and saw us watching. I wondered afterwards what had prompted this sudden display of affection by them. It was then that i remembered those early days in a relationship when having a snog whenever and wherever you wanted was OK and a reason wasn't needed. It might of been a certain look or a compliment that started it and it didn't matter who was watching.

These days a moment of passion is a usually found when we don't have those things known as The Human Birth Controls AKA The Kids around.

Today is our last day and tomorrow morning we will head home with heavy hearts. My 1st impressions were one of horror but I have to say we have had the most amazing time away together. The all inclusive thing was hard to get used to and when you left the hotel you had the feeling that there was always a small chance that you may get shot in the back by a man in a watch tower who had seen you escape.

The staff have been amazing and I have completely changed my opinion of The Entertainment Team who work tirelessly to stop any one from the age of 3-18 getting bored. The food has been of such a high quality with so much choice that some evenings your only problem was what to have. Never mind the suitcases being to heavy, I think The Husband and I will need the Heavy Load stickers.

So as I sit here writing my holiday diary for the last time I am struck by what a gorgeous family I have and how lucky I am to spend these precious times with them. Someone asked me this week if I was writing a book "No" was my reply "I am just making sure I never forget all these amazing events that happen in my life before my kids grow up and the memories start to fade".

I'm off now to have one last family swim in the sea before dinner. Tomorrow my nerves will return as we board the plane again and bid farewell to Cyprus.

I hope you haven't been too bored following my travels and have enjoyed it as much as I have writing it.

Good Bye for now, see you back in good old Blighty.

Lots of Love
Me xxxxxxx

Day 6....Heavy Load.

The Whirlwinds heat rash seems slightly better today. Probably because I smothered him in Calamine lotion last night.

A quiet day was had by all today. The Husband nodded off into a full deep power nap only to wake himself up by doing the most enormous full body twitch and nearly falling off of his bed. This resulted in me and most of the people around us laughing until we couldn't breath.





The Whirlwind has made friends with all of the waiters who call him "The Boss".......Good observational skills on their part then.

The Husband went to the departure meeting this afternoon with the Reps Kayleigh & Vicki. Who informed him of the strict procedures when leaving Paphos Airport.






I probably should of mentioned that when we checked in at Gatwick our bags were classed as too heavy to go through the normal check in desk and had to go on another one round the corner for Heavy Loads. We got to have stickers on our bags to warn the baggage handlers of their weight. Unfortunately they are not so lenient in Cyprus and if you have too much in your case you will have to leave stuff there....End of.

This resulted in us having to buy another case whilst there and distributing the weight more evenly. We then had to pack a day early so that we could weigh them downstairs with the reps. NIGHTMARE !!!

I was going to unpack again but decided that it wasn't worth it for 1 day and we could live out of the suitcases for a day.

The plus side is that I have nothing to do tomorrow except enjoy our last day on holiday.

Tonight we went for a lovely walk and The Teenager took some amazing shots of the sunset. The Husband got all romantic and took me in his arms and began to dance with me, this was all going great until he decided to dip me.............The outcome of this endeavour is a very sore back for me now.

Its boiling tonight so off to sleep for me. Night night.

xxxxxx