My Lovely Lady
Adrian, Nikki and the girls are on holiday at the moment.
They flew off to Fuerteventura last Wednesday and I got a text from Nikki that evening to say they had arrived safely.
They are staying in Jandia, quite a bit further down the coast from where we stayed in Calleta, almost twenty years ago, in 1993.
I imagine Fuertaventura is a lot more developed now than it was back then.
But for us it provided the laid back setting for the type of holiday we were looking.
Both Charlotte and Adrian were off at Uni and we decided it was time the two of us should start to enjoy a few seasons in the sun.
Seem to recall you were the prime mover, putting aside a regular amount from each month's salary into a separate bank account for holidays.
You would pay for us getting there and where we stayed. I would be responsible our 'splashing-out' spending money.
Nothing fancy we agreed. Just somewhere quiet and laid back where we could take things easy and go as we pleased.
It was a pattern we followed virtually every year for over a dozen years.
What's more it was a pattern that worked and gave us some truly memorable memories.
And Fuerteventura was the first.
Our apartment was on a quiet road overlooking the sea and a short walk from what counted then as the 'centre' of Calleta.
We spent our days on the beach by the little marina and and in the evenings it was an easy walk to one of the two or three restaurants that were there.
During the second week we hired a car and began to explore the island, landing up mainly at really long secluded beaches where there was hardly anyone around.
We did some sightseeing but not much.
Just enough to let us see a bit of the the island and maybe discover a new restaurant for lunch.
Like the day we landed up in Gran Tarajal just to see if it was actually all that 'Gran'.
It wasn't.
But but on the way out we followed a little side road.
It led to a tiny fishing village called Las Playitas.
We watched the local children diving and playing in the harbour, and then breaking off to swim out to meet a little fishing boat that was returning with that morning's catch.
When we saw all the fresh fish it its nets, it was clear it was time for lunch.
The little restaurant right by the harbour welcomed us in to its cool interior.
When we enquired what was on the menu, the chef went out to the boat and came back with a platter for us to chose from.
Fish straight from the sea, cooked beautifully, and a chilled bottle of crisp, dry Spanish wine.
Pure happenstance and simply perfect.
It was a freewheeling approach that was to work out for us wherever we went.
And when our time was up, we handed the car back and headed for the airport.
But not before taking the first of our 'last night of the holidays' photograph.
Which became something of a tradition on all the holidays that followed.
Sadly our 'seasons in the sun' together are now nothing but memories.
But such good ones and so typical of the wonderful times we shared.
So difficult, so very difficult, to accept that's how it now is.
Will love and miss my lovely girl
Forever
Trevor
xxx
