I have just turned 32 and late last year had the first real opportunity to spend time with my brother and sister and partners as real 'grown ups'!! Yes, crazy how late I am to this party!! And I don't mean pretending to be grown up while our parents continue to make all the decisions, buy the food supplies, drive us around etc, but like when we're all in charge of ourselves and our folks are nowhere to be seen!
This may sound like very old news to most of you. But since my brother has been the other side of the world for the last 7 years we haven't had much opportunity to just be on the same continent let alone in the same room!! In contrast, I'd happily spend every spare minute of the day with my lil sis, but I definitely regress when I'm with her! No growing up is done when we get together!!! Hehe!
So it was a great suprise to me when we spent a week in Bordeaux and the environs with all my sibling and not a parent in sight, that we actually all got on. Not just that, we actually enjoyed each other's company, had things to talk about AND had a brilliant time!! Blimey!
Last time we spent seven days in close confinement (My bro's flat, the small hire car for our road trip and a small Air BnB pad in San Seb) was probably when we all lived at home, well over 10 years ago!! Miraculously we did NOT fall out, not once. Miracle! (I hope my Ma is reading this, she'll be so proud!! Hopefully that makes up for her dissappoinent at not actually being there with us!)
We stayed up to the wee hours in the flat debating and setting the world to rights, nursing glasses of French Bordeuax and snacking on delicious smorgasbords of saussicon, pate and cornichions. We went for long companionable walks along the coast, we stopped off in cute little coffee shops, we traded eating habits with mixed picnics, we stopped for spontaneous lunges on the beach when the smell of moules-frites in the sunshine just got tooo much for us! We surfed the beautiful warm waters of San Sebastien as the sun set and we shared a delicious tapas meal that went on for hours! In a word – bliss!
Growing up I never thought about what our future lives as siblings would be like. We were too busy bickering!! But it really is a revelation to spend time with someone who has the same background and outlook on life as you, but who diverted down a different avenue during early adulthood so have had very different growing up experiences. It means they approach the big things in a similar way, but still have such valuable advice, ideas and a different ways of living. It's like discovering new friends that you instantly just click with!! Magic!
I wonder whether we're still getting on so well when we reach the ripe old age of this Monsieur. I do hope so!
Oh, and it turns out we still like to take TONS of jumping photos!
How do you get on with your siblings now that you're 'fully grown'?! Any better or worse?! :)
p.s. Read more from our trip to Bordeaux region vineyards here.
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