Ellissa’s island life

Homework, tennis lessons, football coaching, school welcome evenings and mornings, school sport team trials, swimming lessons, pack lunches, constant grocery shopping … and the list goes on.

We’re definitely back to rigid routine with the summer holidays becoming more and more of a distant memory.

Bizarrely, my children appear to be embracing their jam-packed, back-to-school schedules but it has left me searching for the next holidays in the diary and then circling it on the calendar in the boldest, brightest highlighter.

Then Thursday arrived and, at last, I was looking forward to a quiet, relaxing evening to kick-start a restful weekend … I just had to drive them to and from Juventus training and bliss.

That was until the eldest came off the school bus and asked if I could take him to the City Centre Bahrain mall afterwards and then my daughter asked me if I hadn’t forgot she had been invited to a birthday party. So, reluctantly I set out and was quickly reminded why I despise Thursday evening traffic.

There are some male drivers, who see driving as an extension of their masculinity, racing and chasing, dramatically combatting with other drivers, playing out a Gone in 60 Seconds epic car chase in their heads.

Then there are the texting drivers, not just for the 20-somethings, people of all ages doing this behind the wheel, on a roundabout or even in the fast lane on the highway.

Then there are the horn honkers, beeping you to edge forward precariously onto oncoming traffic, beeping you to hurry up, beeping at you to get out of the way as they have driven attached to your bumper for the last 30 seconds and they are so close you can almost see the whites of their eyes.

There are some drivers who think that everyone else on the road has a sixth sense and will, therefore, be able to read their next move so there is a total non-use of indicators, no indicators for overtaking, turning left or right or parking.

So yes, Thursday evening driving wasn’t on my Top Five things to do but we survived, kids were super thankful and that did make me happy, knowing it will be all too soon, when they will have their own licenses and be driving themselves to parties and to the malls.

Same time next week, kids?