Happy Holidays

Well it's that time of year again when most of us are destined to sit in hot cars in traffic jams or on suitcases in the airport awaiting delayed flights and hoping desperately to be re-united with said suitcase when actually arriving at the holiday resort. We must be mad!

In order to get away from work for the coveted fortnight off, there has been many a late night clearing the in-tray with the sure and certain knowledge that it will be stashed again on your return. And if the holiday is actually your honeymoon then you'll have been planning for months all the details of the wedding day before you could even think about packing your suitcases.

After long hours travelling you finally arrive at the hotel (hopefully the builders have actually finished it) and you set off to hit the town - getting back in the early hours tired, hot and slightly intoxicated and fall into bed. Then - according to numerous sources - regardless of how exhausted you both are, men feel that it is expected of them (especially if it's your honeymoon) to suddenly turn into amorous Romeos. Which (apparently) accounts for the stresses and strains on the heart caused by holidays.

My other half and I got married over 30 years ago when Manchester International Airport was simply called Ringway Airport. Expectations were lower in those days and for our honeymoon we spent a rainy week in a flat in North Wales.

We are still not great at taking holidays. Perhaps it's our overblown sense of self importance that makes us think that we can't possibly take time off, leaving the dogs, cat, hens etc in the care of our teenage son.

The last time we attempted a weekend off my husband spent all his time on his mobile phone and I couldn't resist reading my emails. Sad. We eventually decided to come home and try again another time. But it always seems such hard work to get away. We've discovered that days out suit us much better and we can bear to be out of range for 12 hours. It works for us. We feel that we've had a break without disrupting the entire menagerie.

Even less of an upheaval - according to Saturday's Daily Mail "Happiness for a woman is....dinner with her husband".

A woman's magazine interviewed woman aged netween 20-70. Of the 1000 women interviewed, 84% said the best things in life are free - which must be good news in the Credit Crunch. Top of the list was a romantic dinner, making love came a close second followed by a chat over a bottle of wine, walking or gardening together.

When citing what made them happy most simply preferred time together with their partner, families and friends with only 5% wanting material things like diamonds, cars, boats and even shoes!

So this year don't bother with holiday brochures. Try walking, gardening, days out, dinner over a bottle of wine, cuddling up and just talking to one another. It is kinder to the environment, will do wonders for your marriage and is so much gentler on the heart.