Our regular blogger, Helena Beard, joins a group of mates for a weekend of nostalgia…
Last weekend, I had a strange experience. Looking up from the Saturday paper, I saw a dozen familiar faces. I knew who they were. I knew their names, their voices, their mannerisms. But something had happened to them.
Age. These were the lined faces of the beautiful people I shared my late teens and early twenties with. The faces of those who, 20 years ago, kissed me goodbye through clouds of Silk Cut, before journeying off to work in media, the music industry, journalism or, in my case, travel, and who had been around the world, stayed up all night, and partied too hard ever since. And now it showed.
Thanks to Facebook, these people and I were now gathered together in the library of a stately home in Kent, for a ‘weekender’; three days of having fun, eating, drinking and staying up late again (only this time, with children in tow). It was less ‘Peter’s Friends’ and more Club 18-30, only the Club was more likely the golf or biscuit variety, Prosecco had replaced Lambrusco, and there weren’t any T-shirts for sale. I am in denial about the upper age limit, of course.
Surprisingly and against all the odds, this turned out to be the most family-friendly break we’ve ever been on. 25 kids in a supersized country pile, with secret passages, slidey oak floors, full English breakfasts, unmonitored X-Box usage, and no discernible bedtime, made for a weekend of new friendships, adventures and freedom rarely experienced in their short urban lives.
As for the adults, we revelled in our own kind of freedom. No work, no cooking, no cleaning, no bathtime rituals. Just chatting and laughing and the odd treasure hunt to organise. Hell, I didn’t even wash the kids’ faces for three days (although I did apply full make up to my own – no need to scare the sheep). The only chore was keeping track of the discarded toys and clothes spread throughout 28 bedrooms and 70 acres of land. Quite a lot got left behind.
It was fun. Proper fun. With no stress. My kind of holiday. And the nostalgia for our lost partying days? Cured. We’ve still got it.
Helena Beard is Managing Director of KBC PR & Marketing, a PR, representation and marketing agency specialising in travel and tourism.
Photos by Dan Izbicki
