Here we are packing again, off to Barcelona for a few weeks to see Alex, Dave and the grandkids. Hardly seems five minutes since we came back last time but this time we may get to see more of Barcelona. Last time was more to do with helping them move in, unpacking boxes etc. Oh yes, as well as going down the Bodega every night for a few sherbets with Dave and Sven. No doubt that will continue unless Sven and Wonder Woman have booked their holidays to make sure they are somewhere else while we are in Barcelona, we seemed to cause them a lot of problems last time.


Packing is just as fractious this time as last due to one of our allowed two cases being filled with clothes the family left here when they first went to Barcelona in January. That means once again Christine and I have to share a case with a weight limit of 18kgs. Apparently my allowance of that is four T-shirts and a pair of shorts with a shirt in case we go anywhere posh. Christine’s limit seems to be somewhat more looking at the pile of clothes on the bed waiting to be packed.


Nothing changes!


And just to prove that nothing changes we had to visit Meadowhall Shopping Centre during the week because Christine had nothing to wear for the upcoming trip. You may find this surprising, I certainly do considering we had four trips out to the Bahamas last year and have already had one to Barcelona and before each of those we had to go shopping because Christine ‘had nothing to wear’. How many clothes does anyone need before they have ‘something to wear’.


But apparently it is not that easy, Christine explains to me. Going to the Bahamas all she needed was shorts, t-shirts and the whatever else was needed to cope with the hot temperatures, they were quite naturally designer shorts and T-shirts but what else would you expect, “who doesn’t wear designer?” she asks. I then asked why we needed to visit the shops before each visit if the weather was always hot. “Different seasons” says Christine “it may be always hot but you can’t wear the same in winter as you do in summer”. It seems simple to her but I really don’t understand, something about standards having to be maintained.


So I venture to ask why we need to go shopping before going to Barcelona having bought outfits every time we have been away. “Totally different” says Christine “It may be warmer than here but it’s not as hot as the Bahamas”. With that she continues leafing through fashion magazines and clicking on her Favourites on the laptop.


I am still confused as to why this subtle change in the weather has created the need for a completely different set of clothes, designer of course. I raise the question why it’s not possible to wear a jumper on top of something that was bought for the Bahamas. “Different culture” she says “Barcelona and the Bahamas what have they got in common?” I am not sure that answers my question but I think it’s all I’m going to get as she starts clicking the web sites again. What have they both got in common? Well I don’t think that pointing out the obvious that both start with a B will get me anyway so I mention that the weather in Barcelona in June will be hot as some of the time we were in the Bahamas so for that trip we should not need to go shopping.


Wrong again as very quickly Christine says “last years designs, last years colours, couldn’t possible wear them in Barcelona, now if we were still going to the Bahamas it wouldn’t be a problem”. With that I notice she is writing in her Emma Bridgewater Black Book which happens to be white with yellow and blue spots but is still a Black Book. I notice that Meadowhall is again pencilled in for the beginning of June. I give in and put my four T-shirts in the case and contemplate a few nights down the bodega.