We’ve just had a beautiful holiday in Broome and one of the dinners really stands out for me.
It was one of those nights where everyone was leaning back in their chairs, shoulders unhunched with wide smiles and ready laughs.
We had a massive round table, made even more spacious by the prams spaced out amongst our chairs, each one holding a sleeping child.
Julian couldn’t decide where he wanted to be and fought tiredness to sit, as a very well-behaved mini-adult, at the table. He looked at his menu, ordered his steak (he later took back the order, said he was tired and wanted to go in the pram), cheersed with his mineral water -still, not sparkling please, and didn’t wipe his nose with the napkin draped over his lap. Proper behavior.
The night was complimented beautifully by a pinot from New Zealand and a white from Sancrerre in France.
I could only think thank God I’m here.
On the plane on the way up I was doubting my ability to make it beyond the room for the first couple of days. I had a fever and I was going downhill fast. I could barely breath my chest was so heavy. I was freezing but you could’ve fried an egg on my skin. My eyes were struggling to stay open and it was the longest two hour flight of my life. It felt like half a day, and I was in business class.
If I could have just closed my eyes it would have been great but the baby strapped to my belt got in the way of that. Leo was not good either. He was crying, dozing but not sleeping and his temperature was climbing.
Daniel took Leo and my Mother in Law looked after Julian. I curled up against the chair and willed myself to feel better.
The minute we got off the plane my lungs cleared as I breathed in the humidity and by the time we got to the hotel I had perked up enough to have the welcome champagne that I’d been looking forward to for a year.
And that was it. Crisis averted. For me.
Unfortunately Leo was pretty much sick the whole time we were in Broome but he smiled as much as he could. Poor little man.
That was the last time we got out to dinner for the five night trip. Once the hostess at the restaurant told us that they could bring the same quality food to our room there was no question about it. We were ordering in. My kids and their six month old cousin needed their beds more than we needed to sit at a restaurant night after night.
Heaven.
