10 Sep 2012
Not a long weekend as our luggage would suggest, in fact only one night in an unfamiliar bed. No airports, flying or passports needed for this trip, we drove to the North. The currency remained the same and apparently so did the language.
Preparations started on Friday. Mr M got out his list, the one titled weekend away. He also has one titled week away, fortnight away, Spain trip and ski trip.
While Mr M uses lists, I use my imagination. I imagine all the worst case scenarios. The torrential rain, freezing conditions or a dose of sunburn, it’s England after all, the country where you can experience all seasons in just one day. I like to be prepared; recently I’ve taken to carrying an umbrella, sunglasses and sun cream with me just in case. Weather and life is unpredictable and I like to know that whichever throws something my way I’m prepared. How different we are with age and experience, the carefree days of throwing everything into a bag and taking off has gone.
I have never forgiven my husband for the time we were invited onto a friend’s boat. “It’s a sailing boat with limited space and no place for hairdryers or flamboyant clothes” said the man who was to become my husband. I arrived at one of the world’s largest super yachts carrying my shorts and t-shirt ready for my all hands to the deck moment, only to be met by an Armani clad crew offering champagne and canapés. No one mentioned the owner had named his floating gin palace after his sail boat. Thankfully I was young and didn’t need the contents of a pharmacy with me or quite so many clothes on before I left the cabin.
The toilet bag is always the first thing I pack. Surely every woman’s worst fear while standing at baggage reclaim, isn’t the loss of the case, it’s the loss of the toilet bag. As I was piling in the creams, lotions and potions the bag straining under the weight, Mr M announced that all his things were laid on the bed with his toilet bag ready for packing.
I glanced at the clothes, exactly as the list had instructed, shirts x 2, one pair of trousers, one blazer, socks x 2, underpants x 2, one pair of smart shoes, a small toilet bag and a phone charger. I like a choice, how can you possible know exactly what you want to wear the following day? So my clothes took up rather more room, not to mention the choice of shoes, hairdryer, rollers and makeup bag – of course this was in addition to the toilet bag.
I was thinking about the different needs of men and women when they travel, when my son appeared with his clothes to go into the case. One shirt, one t-shirt, one pair of socks and a pair of boxers, his toilet bag I was informed was small enough to go into his backpack, alongside his computer and external hard drive. His days of throwing a few things into a bag and taking off aren’t over.
