After 9 days in warm but rainy Fiji, we landed in freezing Sydney tan-less and ready for some actual sun rays so we what better place to go then Cairns, the ever-warm and gorgeous home of the Barrier Reef and neighbour of tropical holiday spots such as Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation?
[Read Part I of Kat's holiday here].
This flight was excellent. With a sleep in between, Vida spent the whole trip showing off to the friendly Germans sitting in the seats next to us. She flicked her hair, smiled and giggled when she knew they were talking about her - she was on her best behaviour.
The trip was beginning well: perhaps this was going to be the 'Destination Relaxing' we so craved. All the ingredients were there; we had family in Cairns to help us out with the kids if we desired a night out, the kids had cousins to play with and all you have to do is walk the Cairns Esplanade once to see how tranquil and relaxing the city is.
It took exactly 34 minutes for 'Destination Relaxing' to become 'Destination Breakage' in my sister’s beautiful house. Vida picked up a glass bird and tried to make it fly. From then on all Hell Broke Loose; my sister-in-law arrived with her three kids under 4 and another expensive decorative candle was promptly swept and vaccummed up so that all the little feet stomping all around the joint were safe from shattered glass.
From there on, it became 'Destination Mania'. My sister, who usually only shares a house with her husband and three Great Dane Mastiffs, had at least 18 family members at her house every night for three days, with six kids under 4. The dogs were not so keen on sharing their large backyard with the children.
It was a Big Fat Greek-Italian Christening.
Until the bug hit like an atomic bomb.
It was the day after the big chicken Souvla. We had heard at lunchtime that my sister-in-law’s family had been struck down with a ferocious gastro-like bug. While we were sorry for them, we were thankful it wasn’t us as Vida’s baptism was the next day.
But we weren’t feeling thankful for long - Vida was sick at 6pm, followed by Sienna at 9pm. Zenon got hit at 1am, and it was my turn at 3am. My sister escaped it while her husband had it the worst.
On the morning of the baptism we had 'phone calls from the whole family. Even those who did not attend the ‘Souvla’ (which we now refer to as Ground Zero) had some kind of contact with someone that did and they were also struck down.
So we cancelled the Christening. Until the godfather-to-be said: “Guys, lets just do it. It's half an hour, lets get the job done. Who do we need there? The bare essential people - lets get them there, and LET'S DO THIS.”
Yea!
So after some random anti-nausea medication, and a few quick photos of those us well enough to stand – all looking pale and green – little Vida is officially a child of God.
Needless to say, there was no celebration dinner afterwards.
So there are lessons to be learned when planning holidays with kids - and I write this with a box full of Codral next to me because guess what? We all got struck down with the ‘flu on our arrival home in Newcastle!
1. Don’t go somewhere remote or near water with tiny kiddies if you want to just relax. Unless of course you use the kids club or babysitting service, which is always a great option.
2. Do not stay with family or somewhere where you heap your child-rearing ways on happy-while-childless people. I often heard myself asking “do you mind turning the volume down?” and “who does washing at 9.30pm?” repeatedly to my sister. She was the most gracious host in the world considering we all infested her house with a massive amount of germs. We know to stay in a hotel next time, at least to be sick in our own space if need be.
3. Don’t think you are ever going to 'Destination Relaxing' unless your kids are a) old enough to take care of themselves or b) you leave them at home.
4. Learn to make cocktails at home!
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