Weeks of holidaying together in the same spot each year breeds familiarity, and it’s a good thing.  Everyone has their strengths and ideas are pooled (even the silly ones!)

We have a lot of shared dinners at our annual holiday and it’s because we really get to enjoy each other’s company, combine ideas for a menu for the evening meal, all help out with the prep and learn from each other. These slow, shared meals taste the best because so much time and effort has gone into them and dare I say they have that added ingredient of love, awwwww.

After the meal we sit around and marvel at how good everything tastes on holidays and a lot of it has to do with the fact that we have the time to plan, prepare with fresh ingredients, cook and eat at a leisurely pace.

Holidays here are escapism.  Not only from the daily routine and responsibilities but from having to be serious and sensible!

Everyone has permission to let loose – jugs of cocktails are made, Pimms today? Or is it more of a Mojito day? Gin o’clock, I’ll grab my glass.  Everyone shares the thought of ‘this will be a hit at Moonta!’ and brings out something to drink or eat and share amongst friends at an appropriate hour.

There is no time, days go by and chores get done according to needs and usually we work backwards from, ‘well we want to be eating at sunset, so that means cooking at……, preparing at………happy hour at……’ and on it goes.

And despite the calls of ‘how many sunset pictures do you need?’ I will never stop capturing them because I get to marvel at them in silence as I stroll on the beach today and reminisce over them for the rest of the year.  The colours change, the silhouettes make an interesting story, there are always things to learn with my camera and the photos make me feel warmer in winter and make me smile when I think back to the fun days we’ve had.

When we holiday together, I think of days like RUOK day and think that time spent with friends and time when the men get together or the women together, do so much for mental health and overall wellbeing.  Over this relaxed time it’s easier to talk over issues and strengthen bonds. It’s surprising how meditative and calming it can be doing mundane and repetitive things such as cleaning a catch of squid or picking crab meat from the shell.

And then there are the times that a half-hearted idea grows legs and before you know it you have compasses drawn on the road in chalk, or the good old rock weather station when we’ve given up on modern technology that doesn’t quite get it right.

And of course if you leave a bucket of chalk lying around, well anything can happen!

One night that has grown to be expected each year now is ‘guitar night’ the evening is calm and warm, a guitar or two is produced (or this year a mandolin), song books are perused ‘where’s my reading glasses?’, or requests from the assembled group. Lyrics are quickly called up (thanks google) and attempts made to sing along.

We don’t want to think about the inevitable of having to go back to regular life but we begin to think of promises made to family and friends at home to ‘bring me back some crabs / squid / fish’, so having had a good fill of seafood we prepare some for them. These are the days when the weather turns bad, either a strong, hot northerly blows up or the opposite, a blustery cold southerly wind and rain descends on the camp for the odd day.  Then the other jobs get caught up on, tidy the annexe, take stock of what food / drink is left, catch up on bit of news of what’s been happening in the world that we’ve pretty much shut out, or blog!

Hopefully everyone is making the most of the last days of their holidays.

Cheers

Glenys