Team work

"Only you could make team work the theme of a family week in the sun in Spain " declares my 23year old daughter! We are enjoying a villa-with-pool holiday to relax and warm and treat her, a hardworking soul,  to give her a break away from London and work. 

The planning, booking, packing, parking, plane, car hire, villa, pool, welcome pack all come together as a result of team work..... Much of it very last minute!  

Altea seafront 

Once in holiday mode, we encounter team work every step of the way. It starts with our neighbours caring for Eartha the cat ( not an especially rewarding task) . More satisfyingly for them, our friends take in Merry the dog. When recognising teams we must not forget the holiday company, the restaurants, the communal refuse service, and our own domestic arrangements. My navigator role in our team is a challenge and I sometimes fall short of expectations! 

Calpe

Despite navigation errors we visit the seaside including Calpe where we are unable to snap a picture of the visiting flamingos. And we explore  the mountains of Costa Blanca and wonder at the views and sheer amount of weather ! 

En route to Guadelest 

The Bell tower , Guadelest - just before torrential rains 

From Guadelest 

In the the castle at Guadelest we find art, and I wonder if this artist was influenced by Euan Uglow or indeed , my brother,Piers Ottey! 

Liam Manuel Perez 1995 

But despite the lure of mountains , beach and a beautiful cobbled whitewashed village, the lure of a readily accessible pool has proved too much on several days . We have sunned, swum and played ball in the pool. Some days we have not ventured further. 

 We have read and played GinRummy .  Jenny Eclair's "Moving " has been enjoyed by P and me. Alice Munro's last book," Dear Life"  is a good recommendation by H. And the music of Nina Simone, Madeleine Peryoux and other favourites has serenaded our evenings in, followed by late night swims. 

We have eaten tasty home cooked meals ' en famille ' using local fresh ingredients- Spanish omelette , fresh sea bass ,tuna and chickpea salad,local avocado,plums and melon  all hitting the spot. And we have enjoyed Tapas and Paella in restaurants . 

You can't beat home cooking - team work!

I have kept in touch with the world through my downloaded Grauniads and Twitter. This has included booking an H recommended show coming from Edinburgh Fringe to the Btighton Dome in September - Fake it 'Til You Make it -Bryony Kimmings  and Tim Grayburn. Team work once more .

And the GCSE results have come out and the improvement is evidenced and encouraging and I see a tweet from a headteacher acknowledging the teamwork across city schools and with the Local Authority. I am just a little bit proud. I am delighted for young people their hard working teachers and long suffering parents and carers . I am happy on behalf of all those creating the conditions for progress - politicians, managers, public authorities working for young people to be safe and healthy (Police,NHS,voluntary organisations) . We do not achieve on our own. Team work, collaboration, working together, call it what you will, that's what produces good outcomes - happiness, fulfilment, clean neighbourhoods. 

Altea - old city 

Coming back to the subject of holidays , clearly team work is vital for happy holidays! Oh and it helps to have a pool , good wine, company , iPod and dock; WiFi; a deck of cards and a pile of books (or/and Kindle)....  sunshine and a warm breeze and blue skies.  Finally the week would not have been the same without H whistling away . This has provoked us to look up Whistling Jack Smith on YouTube - do it ! You'll be delighted!