epschofield

My wonderful mother had just died a few weeks earlier and I was feeling pretty numb. My partner booked a two week break in The Maldives and off we went. There were times I remember sitting crying in the rain and lying on the bed feeling utterly sad and empty. But more than that I remember the beauty of it all; the breathtaking sunsets, swimming to tiny islands, catching fish at night and riding on the front of a speed boat in the dazzling sunshine! Sometimes I feel guilty when I think how much I enjoyed myself. When I allow myself to think like this, I tell myself “Why not?”. What better way to remember the dead, than by living and laughing.

Stay in The Carlton Arms!

My holiday here was wicked, not least because I had spent 18 months saving up £50 a month so I could afford to go. I was a poor, underpaid twenty something, who had just moved to London and was skint. In New York I had 10 days of escape – prezels, parades, Coney Island, Luck Chengs, Little Italy and the rest. Lots of very happy memories.

Was when I was 16 years old and it had an overwhelming effect on me. The colour, the heat, the whole place felt magical and shimmering with promise. When I got home I read the book The Story of San Michele, written by Axel Munthe, the guy who built the Villa San Michele. I don’t think I should go back because, in my memory at least, it is perfect.