It is 8.30am and from my hotel balcony I have a great view of the pool below.  Today, as yesterday, there is a blue sky above and a hazy early sunshine is painting shadows across the ground.  The hotel provides white plastic sunbeds for those spending the day beside the pool to lay upon. People in this hotel take this very seriously, so much so that at this early hour there are dozen holidaymakers sitting on a wall waiting for the pool staff to unlock the chairs.

As they perch on the stone their brightly coloured beach towels across their laps they remind me of the line of sparrows that wait on the fence to be fed at my Auntie’s house.  They all seem anxious, as if the whole of the day would be ruined if they didn’t manage to get their towel on a sunbed as soon as possible.  Who knew holidays could be so stressful? We haven’t bothered waiting on the wall, we just amble down when we are ready and take one of the fifty plus unused beds from the pile and settle down.

Swimming pools are odd places, nowhere else would I see so many different ages and body shapes in a state of undress?  It is quite liberating actually.  Nobody seems to care what anyone else looks like and people are confidently laying around almost naked. We enjoy the pool although as it is unheated the water literally takes your breath away, once in there is nothing better than lying on your back in the water looking up at a blue blue sky and sunshine.

Thanks to modern technology we have been able to speak to those at home each day and it amazes me how different it is there.  At home November means dark mornings, cold days and rainy afternoons.  Here, just a four hour flight away it is always summer.  On balance I think I would miss our seasons, the changing weather is part of me, but for one week I am happy to have a warm and sunny winters day.

We are off to a beach later, there will be water sports, banana boats and all.  I will find myself a sun bed and settle down to mind the bags while I watch my daughter and her friends have fun.  I will be thinking of the many holidays we have had, of happy times with friends in the sunshine and once again being thankful that I have such a lovely life.

Sometimes it is worth remembering just where choosing happy brings you.