Mandy's morning:
Today, when Carol said she was going to the Spar (well, someone has to get the groceries in, after all, and she seemed oddly keen to go to the supermarket), I decided it was the perfect sunny morning to load up the van and head off to a rural spot I’ve discovered on the other side of Wells, where I was able to offload all my baggage among a group of complete strangers. Then, feeling totally purged, my load well and truly lightened, I came home to a nice cup of tea – what a way to take care of yourself!
Funny sort of Spar that must’ve been though – all Carol came back with, besides glowing skin and a strangely healthy look that she hadn’t gone there with (having, I might add, spent virtually the whole morning there!), was a paltry veggie wrap in a Styrofoam box. Where were my custard tarts, my rum, my giant Cadbury’s caramel bar that she usually gets when she does our shopping?
Something’s definitely not right here…
Carol's morning:
The potent aroma of essential oils hits me as soon as I enter the spa, heady scents of lavender and lemon balm. Calming piano riffs play gently in the background and the receptionist leads me to the changing room. This is by no means my usual morning routine.
Usually by now, the dog, Blue, has had a long walk across the fields, and I am immersed in household chores. However, today, Blue was short-changed with a quick round-the-block, long-enough-to-do-his business walk for which I know it will take him several days to forgive me. Unwashed breakfast things were abandoned on the kitchen counter, running shoes left in the shoe pile and admin tasks completely disregarded. Today is a little bit different.
‘In your locker you’ll find your robe and towel, and your massage is booked for 11am,’ the receptionist tells me, in the sing-song voice of someone who definitely does not know the meaning of stress. So, I get down to the serious business of lounging about. I wander from the jacuzzi to the sauna to the hot tub to the steam room and back to the jacuzzi, from where there are amazing views of the Somerset countryside. The bi-fold doors are open wide to the outside and I can feel the warmth of the sun on my skin as I wallow in the frothy water. My worries wash away in the bubbles, and just for a few hours I have nothing to do but relax. Bliss. At the appointed time I meet Jenny for my massage and while she diligently works away at my knots, I contemplate how good life is and how lucky I am to be in a position to do this once in a while. By the time Jenny has worked her magic, my muscles are so yielding they can barely support my own bodyweight, so I head off to the relaxation room, wrapped in my fluffy white robe, for just a tiny bit more relaxation. My time at the spa is almost at an end. As I sit there sipping my herbal tea, I briefly wonder what Mandy has been up to this morning. But I haven’t got time to consider it for too long as I need to squeeze in a final dip in the jacuzzi before my time is up.
I float home, euphoric, mentally and physically cleansed. I’m so clean, my nails glint in the sun and I smell of sandalwood and ylang-ylang. They even gave me a lovely lunchbox to take home with me! As I put the key in the front door I start to think about everyday things again. Perhaps later on I’ll help Mandy take the garden waste to the Wells recycling tip. But I’ll have my lunch and a bit of a rest first.
Today, when Carol said she was going to the Spar (well, someone has to get the groceries in, after all, and she seemed oddly keen to go to the supermarket), I decided it was the perfect sunny morning to load up the van and head off to a rural spot I’ve discovered on the other side of Wells, where I was able to offload all my baggage among a group of complete strangers. Then, feeling totally purged, my load well and truly lightened, I came home to a nice cup of tea – what a way to take care of yourself!
Funny sort of Spar that must’ve been though – all Carol came back with, besides glowing skin and a strangely healthy look that she hadn’t gone there with (having, I might add, spent virtually the whole morning there!), was a paltry veggie wrap in a Styrofoam box. Where were my custard tarts, my rum, my giant Cadbury’s caramel bar that she usually gets when she does our shopping?
Something’s definitely not right here…
Carol's morning:
The potent aroma of essential oils hits me as soon as I enter the spa, heady scents of lavender and lemon balm. Calming piano riffs play gently in the background and the receptionist leads me to the changing room. This is by no means my usual morning routine.
Usually by now, the dog, Blue, has had a long walk across the fields, and I am immersed in household chores. However, today, Blue was short-changed with a quick round-the-block, long-enough-to-do-his business walk for which I know it will take him several days to forgive me. Unwashed breakfast things were abandoned on the kitchen counter, running shoes left in the shoe pile and admin tasks completely disregarded. Today is a little bit different.
‘In your locker you’ll find your robe and towel, and your massage is booked for 11am,’ the receptionist tells me, in the sing-song voice of someone who definitely does not know the meaning of stress. So, I get down to the serious business of lounging about. I wander from the jacuzzi to the sauna to the hot tub to the steam room and back to the jacuzzi, from where there are amazing views of the Somerset countryside. The bi-fold doors are open wide to the outside and I can feel the warmth of the sun on my skin as I wallow in the frothy water. My worries wash away in the bubbles, and just for a few hours I have nothing to do but relax. Bliss. At the appointed time I meet Jenny for my massage and while she diligently works away at my knots, I contemplate how good life is and how lucky I am to be in a position to do this once in a while. By the time Jenny has worked her magic, my muscles are so yielding they can barely support my own bodyweight, so I head off to the relaxation room, wrapped in my fluffy white robe, for just a tiny bit more relaxation. My time at the spa is almost at an end. As I sit there sipping my herbal tea, I briefly wonder what Mandy has been up to this morning. But I haven’t got time to consider it for too long as I need to squeeze in a final dip in the jacuzzi before my time is up.
I float home, euphoric, mentally and physically cleansed. I’m so clean, my nails glint in the sun and I smell of sandalwood and ylang-ylang. They even gave me a lovely lunchbox to take home with me! As I put the key in the front door I start to think about everyday things again. Perhaps later on I’ll help Mandy take the garden waste to the Wells recycling tip. But I’ll have my lunch and a bit of a rest first.
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