My Big Night Out

Now forgive me if this sounds strange to you but I have always hankered after the life I could have had if I had lived abroad...warm beaches, soft balmy evenings, days spent by the pool and nights out enjoying myself with my family.

And then yesterday, we got that life.

For one day only, I was rewarded with my dream. The sun shone in the sky, as the children and I looked around some market stalls in the morning, before going swimming in the afternoon. [Ok so the pool was indoors in a leisure complex but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth or pick at details!]

After that we had a nice tea and a little siesta before getting ready and heading out to...a local social club [ta-da!] for a spot of entertainment.

I had never been to this particular place before but was very impressed, not least by the warm and friendly atmosphere and the amount of families with other children present.

More to the point, my own children were animated, chatting and laughing and completely fine about missing the electrical equipment they are so often connected to [playstations, ds consoles, tvs and dvds].

We had a fantastic time. The drink prices were not overinflated, the kids had crisps and squash and I had a solitary glass of wine ...and we danced and had fun. So much so, that I almost had to drag my daughter off the dance floor, where she was insisting that I teach her some Ceroc moves [much to the amusement of my son].

The entertainment was reasonable [the song list was a little dated perhaps but certainly danceable to] and the venue clean and roomy.

But all this is missing the point. It gave me something that I thought only the lure of overseas could ever provide...it gave me my children, fully engaging in doing things together as a family, without worrying who was watching us makes fools of ourselves.

As my Grandmother used to say "you are a long time dead!" She was right. We all get so caught up in the mundane elements of life, the chores that have to be done, the endless lists of things waiting to be attended to...

Well I have made an executive decision now. Those lists can wait just a little longer...and if a couple more things get added in the process, so be it.

Life is for the living. x