Spanish Practices

Yesterday at 4pm I set my "out of office" email notification, managing to overcome the temptation to advise enquirers that they can all go and take a running jump into infinity and beyond until next Tuesday. True though this would, of course, have been...

My sisters and I are off to Valencia for a long weekend - just us - no husbands, no kids, no mother. Despite an initial early set back this morning (when I go to check they are up and ready to leave for the airport, I find they are both still asleep?!*?), we have managed to get here without undue incident and are now checked into what is described as a "boutique" hotel in the centre of the historical quarter.

We all adore Valencia! It's compact, buzzy without being too busy, and full of interest. Best of all, we enjoy almost constant sunshine, and find a Zara with some nice items on sale! We spend the whole afternoon wandering around and listening to each others' news.

My sisters, like most normal people, enjoy drinking when they are on holiday; and as the day wears on beers, sangria and a bottle of wine disappear in rapid succession. The fact I don't drink places no constraints on them at all, which is exactly the way I like it. I wonder, not for the first time, why my not drinking appeared to present such a problem to certain of my work colleagues. We sit at an outside table for about two hours, watching the light fall, the streets fill with young, stylish people, and nibbling on a variety of tapas. Sometimes the conversation turns to anecdotes about work; but given that we spend most of our time laughing hysterically, none of us appear to be overly traumatised by our experiences. Not even me.

A few years ago one of my sisters also suffered severe stress thanks to some vile work colleagues, and as I sit with her now - confident in her own skin, and contented in the new job she eventually moved onto - it is fantastic to be reminded that work does not, and never shall, define us. This evening, as we wander back to our hotel, treating ourselves to a mango icecream on the way (no, hang on, that was just me....) we are above all FAMILY. And one I'm proud to be a part of.