MAD DOGS AND ENGLISH MEN!!!

 

I think I must be regressing, sorry folks I have another memory to share.

The year was 1982, I was at catering colledge at the time and the girls and I decided on a foreign holiday, we were of to sunny Spain well Benidorm to be exact a kind of Spanish mecca for the English holidaymaker.

We all had jobs by then and saved dilligently for the £130 the airfare and apartment, we also had to get passports for the first time, plus get our parents sign our holiday forms as we were under eighteen.

So the day finally dawned, we had to go to Victoria station to get the train to Gatwick, I don't think we stopped giggling all the way, we finally checked in and had a stroll around the airport and of course none of us had ever flown before, we had to go outside to board the plane which I was very disappointed about, thinking I would just sweep onto the plane from the tunnel not trudge up the flight steps..lol. also it's quite exciting the firstime you fly well also terrifying..lol

The airline was called Dan-Air(no longer in buisness) and talk about herded in like battery hens I swear the man in front was sitting in my lap for whole two hour journey, leg room was unheard of then, they served something they called food, a kind of brown casserole HUH i've stepped in it a few times but never eaten it..lol and luckily I was on my bikini diet thats all I'm saying.

The first thing that hit you was the heat, not used to this kind of weather back in Blighty, we had a further one hour drive into Benidorm, and we learned the joys of Spanish driving...lol finally we arrived at our apartment block checked in, the lift wasn't working (of course) and we had to walk eleven flights of stairs to our apartment, but remember I was eighteen it was nothing even with my case, now I would have to be air-lifted..lol.

Being teenage girls we changed and headed for the beach wich was actually across the road, and basked in the sun for the rest of the afternoon, that night we left for dinner, dressed in our finery as you can imagine the resort catered very well for English tastes, everything with chips(fries) and English breakfast was served all day, so after our burger and chips we hit the night clubs with avengence, most were open until 3am..woo hoo, we then did the other English tradition and had a kebab.. yes even in Spain there was a kebab shop(for those across the pond don't even ask).

We followed the same routine everyday (thats why the saying, Mad dogs and English men go out in the midday sun) I tell you it was exhausting all that lying around eating a diet of burger and chips chicken and chips fried breakfast, thank god the sun dried out my spots..lol and of course I had my own personal swarm of mosquitos, so nice they met me at the airport and stayed with me the whole two weeks, the girls thought it was hilarious, but I got the last laugh on D she got sunburn and her face doubled in size, it didn't stop her though she just lathered on the baby oil and did herself to a nice turn, and of course the eleven flights of stairs, as the lift only worked sometimes.

Unlike now but those days abroad the English complained, couldn't get a decent cup of tea, nobody spoke English..lol and it was too hot.

On our last night we went clubbing and stayed out all night thinking our bus was leaving in the afternoon, WRONG... they had to wait while we hastily packed, much grumbling from the other passengers..lol anyway me made it home safely with promises to do it again next year(we did Tenerife), we bought our parents the same presents Spanish doll toilet roll holder, and a stuffed Spanish Donkey...lol

Take care all

Tags: Benidorm Gatwick

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REMEMBER WHEN!!!!

I was talking to an old school friend the other day, just remebering some of our school days, when she mentioned our first grown up disco(I don't think they call them that now), it was to be held at  a local hall with no adults to supervise woo hoo,

I remember it took weeks to save up for the ticket a whole £3.00($6.00),saving every penny i could get my hands on, lol..

Then of course I needed a dress and as mum was handy with a needle she made me a fabulous grown up dress ..well I was Fifteen, and a big plus I was staying over at a friends house, its great when you have friends that have liberal parents.

We got to C's house after school about four in the afternoon can you just imagine three teenage girls getting ready to go out I still don't think iI've ever seen so much makeup, hair rollers combs brushes, the smelliest of perfumes, and clothes covering every surface, and the giggling it's a wonder we made it.

There we were ready at seven pm dressed in our finery, my dress was purple satin with a black bolero jacket sky high heels, enough makeup to put Revlon to shame my hair was set like tortoishell it would take weather of epic proportions to move it,

C had red satin trousers and a sparkly top and S wore a sparkly blue dress lots of sequins I seem to remember, both wore gravity defying make up and rock hard hairdo's, oh I forgot we loved lip gloss strawberry flavour..lol we staggered to the bustop with C's mums laughter ringing in our ears, we each had £5.00 spending money, and we had to be home by evelen pm omg to us that was like being out all night.

We finally arrived meeting up with our friends all the sqealing about each others dresses all the boys dresses in trousers shirt and ties some even wore suits, on entering the dark hall, this also caused ripples of excitement loads of balloons every where music thumping(didn't seem loud then), just a few people dancing the rest of us standing around waiting for something to happen, we were good girls no alcohol, but we all smoked because it was so terribly grown up(to think I onlymanaged to give up last year) we used to smoke one fag(cigarette) between about five of us.

Gradually we all started to dance and dance music loud and pumping, much laughter, all of us thinking how grown up we were, the boys only dancing when the slow dances came on they seemed to kind of unpeel themselves from the four walls and suddenly appeared in front of us, so with most of us our first time dancing with a boy up close and personal so to speak..lol.

all to soon it was over and we girls learned a lesson that night..yes overhead harsh lighting...lol we looked like Pandas, on the way home we got a bag of chips each and with swollen feet feet tottered home laughing and giggling all the way, the BEST night EVER.

Little did we realise that we would never be that age again,

 

 

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NICE MATTERS AWARD

Thanks to Diane  from Sazzy kreationz for awarding me the "Nice Matters Award"

such a lovely surprise.

Below are my six nominations, please stop by there journals and say hello

1, Sheria writes a varied journal covering all subjects from her personal life to politics with much in between, she has been one of my most regular readers since I joined JLand

http://journals.aol.com/aimer/onmymind/

2. Terry regales us tales from her family and work life, always unfailingly nice.

http://journals.aol.co.uk/tellsg/bowlofcherries

3. Morton who writes a touching journal on caring for his elderly mother, he is also not in the best of health recently being diagnosed with MS

http://journals.aol.co.uk/mortonlake/caringandsharing

4.Traci whom I met in journals chatroom, who homeschools her lovely daughters and teaches sunday shcool a thoroughly nice person.

http://journals.aol.com/deshelestraci/MylifeasaTransplantedYankee

 

5. Pam who is new to Jland writes a witty journal, I think will become a good friend.

http://journals.aol.co.uk/pamal3/almost40

6. Michelle I also met in the chatroom, who is starting up her own craft buiness as well as bringing up her two boys.

http://journals.aol.co.uk/mleppard06/eternity

Please all recipients you now have to choose up to six people to recieve an award.

 

Yasmin

xx

MEMORIES

I was just thinking about summer holidays today and remebering our family holidays in Broadstairs, Kent.

We started going there in the mid seventies, for the last week in August, I remember my brother and I were so excited only ever having been to the seaside once before but now we were to spend a whole week.

The day finally arrived as we made our way to Victoria Station to board the coach, it was a three hour journey and we gazed out of the window watching London disappear then out in to wide opens spaces taking us closer to our destination, we finally arrived at 1pm to be picked up by David the owner.

On arriving at "Woodleigh" a large house wich had seven family sized bedrooms a sitting room come dining room we were welcomed my Rae davids wife and taken to our rooms, my brother and I shared bunk beds which was a first for us.

We spent that first Saturday walking around the town, it was quite Dickensian but also Charles Dickens did actually have a summer home there, and quite a lot of the town paid hommage to his book titles "The Old Curiosity Shoppe" being one such place we always visted.

We walked along the front and saw Viking Bay for the first time, the beach where we would spend most of our time.

After Breakfast on  sunday we made our way to the beach, and there we stayed until time for Lunch at 1pm (Guest house were quite strict about mealtimes) then back to the beach for the rest of the day the weather glorious, we met several other families that year and we were to meet every year for the next twelve years or so it was like a home from home.

Rainy days were spent in the amusment arcades or playing Bingo..lol or just walking around the town, we used to go to a bakery that made fresh doughnuts and had the machine in the window and we used to watch the batter being whisked then being plopped into the hot oil when done would be then dipped into the sugar, so delicious being eaten hot.

On the beach apart from making sandcastles swimming and causing general mayhem while the adult basked in the sun we watched the Punch and Judy shows took Donkey rides(which I managed to fall off..lol).On Fridays the big treat was to go into Margate and go to the Dreamland Funfair (Sadly now gone) comming back late to finish packing to go home on Saturday.

They were such glorious days the only time apart from Christmas when you spent time with your familiy, we also forged many friendships a few of which have lasted until this day, as much as I enjoy foreign travel those holidays hold the best memories for me

Yasmin

Tags: Broadstairs Viking Bay Shop