Bali Revisited

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Paradise comes in many forms, but for me the best features blue skies, the ocean, palm trees, balmy nights, Simone and two little nymphs who are equal parts gremlins and angels. Arriving at night and peering through the mosquito netting at the sleeping Georgia and Byron has to be one of the greatest rewards for enduring 30 hours of economy class travel. Sleeping deeply in their angel guises, it is impossible to resist hugging them. Georgia semi-woke to say "hello", and in that instant there's no doubt that paradise was reclaimed.

If only those instants were life-times! The following morning was less serene, more boisterous and a lot of fun. Simone had convinced Georgia and Byron that whenever I turned up would be Father's Day, and so, even though it had officially occurred a few weeks before, I benefitted from Father's Day cards and hugs.

But paradise for kids is really about running barefoot at the beach, being dumped by waves that you thought you could jump, finding crab holes in the sand and writing your name in the impermanent sands of the water’s edge. G & B did all of that, repeatedly. For little people, little adventures are milestones. For not so little people, watching it all unfold is the joy that milestones have led to.

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