In mid September we set off on the holiday of a lifetime. Christopher was 60 earlier this year and also retired from work. He organised several events for himself for work colleagues and running club friends and I suggested that it would be lovely to take our sons and their partners for a holiday. I was thinking of Center Parcs, or perhaps a villa in Majorca, but it turned into an all inclusive holiday at a Sandals resort in St Lucia. Now for this of you reading this in North America, the Caribbean is perhaps no big deal, but for us in the UK it's a terrific adventure.
The holiday almost didn't happen, as Christopher had a major heart attack in June - from which he has recovered extraordinary well thank goodness - but we had to wait until the end of August for him to get the go ahead for the holiday.
It was a big thing for me too, as I've had a problem with flying for years, having suffered for years from severe anxiety and panic attacks, but a year of therapy has done wonders and I've been on a couple of aeroplanes in the last year, so I reckoned I'd be okay. And I was.
It was a huge delight for us to spend ten days with our family; we talked non-stop, laughed a lot, played and ate together and made wonderful memories. The photograph above was taken on the drive from the airport across the island to the hotel. The island is so beautiful though the economy is poor and struggling. Tourism provides the bulk of their income along with the export of bananas. As you can imagine, I took hundreds of photographs and will share a few of them with you over the next few days.
3 comments:
What a wonderful trip! Some day (soon I hope) I'd like to plan a trip that includes the boys and their families. Between graduations, job changes and now a birth on the way we haven't quite found the right time. So sorry to hear of Christopher's heart attack, but glad to hear that he has recovered! Looking forward to seeing your pictures.
I am so relieved to hear that Christopher has recovered from his heart attack, I imagine how scary that can be. What a lovely trip! And to go there and share it with your children and their partners, well that makes it all the more special. Good for you overcoming your fear of flying. I am looking forward more photos, especially as the weather is going to turn cold here, I'll have to look at your photos and pretend I'm there in the sun where it's warm.
Good grief! I didn't realize Christopher had a major heart attack. Art is having to be careful now too since they've discovered an arrhythmia. It's scary. I'm glad you got over your fear of flying too.
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