As Madonna put it: "If we took a holiday, some time to celebrate...it would be so nice". Leaving aside my old English teacher's disdain for the word "nice", I think most people would concur with this sentiment, though I do wonder how many would now recognise what Madge was referring to as an actual holiday.
I remember holidays in the 1980s, when Madonna was recording her opus, as rather grim, formulaic affairs. People booked two weeks off work, went somewhere, laid on a beach, got a suntan, came home again, went back to work. They got it over and done with, then went back to bricklaying or chartered accountancy for the other 50 weeks of the year.
Hard though it is to imagine nowadays, the tan-getting was one of the most important parts. I distinctly remember my parents spreading some concoction on their skin to increase the effect of the sun's rays for exactly that purpose. I think of them sometimes when I'm applying SPF 50+ sunblock, which would have bemused them no end at the time. The past really is like a foreign country, isn't it?
Of course, modern holidays tend to have a rather different, ahem, complexion. The idea of taking just one two-week holiday per year would feel impossibly spartan to many now, when it is fashionable to disappear for most of the summer (some of it spent "working" remotely), then take a late autumn activity break, a skiing trip in January and a "winter blues" pick-me-up in March.
The downside of all this holidaying is that it can play havoc with one's routine. I can quite understand wanting to leave some things behind: the office, colleagues, friends, relations, neighbours, the ironing, gardening, DIY - all of which benefit from regular and extended avoidance, in my experience. But Pilates? That's a different story.
Taking a break from your favourite exercise classes is a bit like swerving a healthy diet. It might seem daring initially but, after your third successive fried fish dinner, you start to feel a little queasy and wonder how you'll ever get back on the straight and narrow (let alone wear anything straight and narrow).
Well, I'm happy to tell you that Pilates online is always available, wherever you are. There's no need to fall behind with your exercise. Staycation or long-haul, as long as you have an internet connection you can join one of my classes and stay strong, fit and flexible from anywhere in the world. And if the timing doesn't suit, simply drop me a line to request that I record the class for you, so you can do it in the cool of the evening, morning or, as Noel Coward would say, out in the midday sun. But in that case definitely use sunblock.
It would be lovely to see you at any of my classes - and you don't need to worry about me going anywhere: I try to avoid travel as I'm always concerned that it will broaden my mind.
For more details and to book a class, go to the online classes page of my website.
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