It Would Be So Nice

It's been 2 years since I went on a holiday. I mean, a proper holiday with beaches, suncream, and swimming in the sea. A holiday where you come back refreshed, chilled and brown. Not feeling broken like after a festival, or buzzing from the excitement of a city break and weighed down with extravagant purchases. Last time I went on a proper holiday the best thing about it was its simplicity; the biggest decision of the day was whether to have fresh pineapple or mango for lunch. It's not often that you can say that about your day when you live in Britain, let alone in central London. When my parents invited me on a trip to a little Greek island, I was a little reluctant at first - it's hardly rock and roll to holiday with your Mum and Dad - but then I realised that was precisely what I needed; time away from everything and with nothing specific to do for a week or so in the sun. The necessity of taking a proper holiday is undeniable, and I can't believe I'd left it this long since my last one! But when you only have 20 days of paid holiday a year, It seems incredibly greedy to use a third of it just doing nothing. Not so. We reverted to a simple routine of getting up late, going straight to one of the 2 beaches on the island, swimming and lazing in the sun, returning for a siesta, then heading back to the beach for an afternoon, often until 7pm. Then we'd head home again, and go out for dinner. Where we'd eat the most luscious, fresh and delicious seafood I've tasted in a long while. The freshly-caught squid stuffed with vegetables and feta was so good that I had it three times in the space of a week; I mean, when are you going to get that in London? And then we repeated the same routine every day. It sounds dull, but it's the ultimate luxury - having the time to do absolutely nothing. I've come back feeling much more chilled out (well, almost; the return journey was LONG) and recharged. I've said it before, but it;s so important to get out of an urban environment as often as you can, to reconnect with nature and switch yourself off. I'm sounding a bit Mother Earth, but I'm serious. I've always been of the opinion that relaxation time and sleep are just as important to your sanity as work, and this holiday has proved it. Next summer I'l be off to a beach again somewhere, and I urge you to do the same. Relaxation is the ultimate Staple, and the only was to do that is on holiday. Other Holiday Staples:
The beautiful island of Halki with my family
An iPod full of electronica
Stuffed squid from Remezzo
Mythos lager
A woven straw hat from New Look (with some Liberty fabric wrapped around the base)
Prescription sunglasses
Havanaias flipflops

Mistletoe and Wine

"So here it is, Merry Christmas..." and I've been Xmassing to the max all week. Although this time of year is always a bit of a whirlwind, for me, Xmas has been more or less confined to December, and even then to the last fortnight or so. Schmaltzy adverts, shopping panic, eating too much and even Xmas music; all of it has kind of passed me by, in a very pleasant way. I think this is mostly as I'm not working in retail any more, and as a result I've had a terribly civilised yule. And I think this is the way forward; as much as I love shopping, I have been very virtuous this December with my present purchasing in anticipation of the sales. Not only that, my train journey home was fine - I even managed some seating in First Class, I had a lovely Xmas eve lunch with my mates, Xmas day itself was very relaxed, and even Boxing day has been rather lovely. The only constant thing throughout December was my lovely Thorntons advent calendar - a Staple if ever there was one; there's nothing like counting down the days until something exciting happens, and marking that with chocolate is the only possible improvement. Maybe I'm getting old, but Xmas now seems to be so much more of a real holiday and a break from everything than before. Lovely stuff. Xmas is an absolute must; time to chill, eat and relax. And of course throw yourself into the sale mêlée at Leeds Harvey Nicks tomorrow. Other Xmas Staples include:
Thornton's Advent Calendar
Watching old BBC programmes on Dave and Dave +1
Pink prosecco
A Vivienne Westwood checked scarf
A real fire
The Yard pub in Ilkley, West Yorkshire
Giving greatly appreciated presents