Holiday

I know it's a bit redundant to say this when I haven't posted anything for over a month, but this is just a quick one tosay I am off at crack of dawn for a week's holiday.  Going to be slightly different to any holiday I've had in my adult life, as for a change it's important I still stick to my diet, instead of letting myself take a holiday from that as well.  But my BG readings have been good, and pretty steady, for the last few weeks, and my weight is much better than it was a couple of months ago.  So I'm fairly confident that I can keep healthy in Crete.  Yay, Crete!  Mountains and sea; and if the forecast I've seen is at all accurate, good, calm weather.  I have a sketchbook and a notebook and a couple of novels to read.  I have two bathing costumes and plenty of sunscreen.  I have healthy snacks for the plane. 

I have pre-flying jitters, too, but although I know how silly that is, they are a regular visitor at this point before any holiday.

I wish anyone reading this a good week!  I'll be back on Tuesday 26th.

Holiday-ay!

It's been a rather hectic week but at last I have got to Friday and I'm about to start a fortnight's annual leave. I'm going to Crete (to Bali, pronounced "Balee", on the north coast between Iraklio and Rethymnon) for one week of it, and relaxing at home for the rest.

I booked this period of leave several months ago, long before our team at work discovered that we were going to be a member of staff down for the foreseeable future. I feel, to be frank, like an absolute cow. I'm leaving my colleagues to try and do, not four people's work between three, as we are currently doing on a daily basis, but four people's work between two. Ouch. But the thing is, I did book my leave ages ago, and I am knackered and stressed and desperately in need of a break - and we have no idea how much longer we are going to be short-staffed... and I simply couldn't bear to knuckle under and cancel my holiday. I'm sorry, ladies; you'll get the chance to stick me in it too, later in the summer, if you want.

In the meantime, as I type this, the thought that I am now free for two whole weeks is beginning to sink in. It's settling into my shoulders and back; all the tension starting to trickle out, at the thought of being able to do nothing but sit in the garden and read for an afternoon if I want to; of finally finishing sewing the poppy-patterned top I've been making for months; of going to the London Wetland Centre to listen to reed warblers and sketch ducklings and goslings... of painting and writing and listening to music and just chilling out...

I am torn between treating myself to supper out tonight or buying something nice to take home to do a share-supper with my flatmates (who are both also stressed). I think I'll do the latter; let's spread the happy mood around a bit. Something nice and mediterranean, with lots of herbs and garlic, and a pudding of some sort, and a bottle of plonk...

I don't know how often I'll have internet access for the next fortnight, then, so I'll say goodnight and see you in two weeks!

Freedom from work!...

...for the next two weeks at least.

Things here have been getting very, very hectic of late; basically, since the beginning of April two of us have been trying to do three people's workload, and it simply isn't working. Unsurprisingly. As the spring advances towards summer we get more and more enquiries in Visitor Information at Kew, and more and more off-the-wall weird requests, and more and more complaints; and we can't keep up.

So I am very relieved indeed to reach the beginning of my two weeks' annual leave. I'm taking ten at the end of Friday afternoon to write this, and then I'll probably be totally silent, www-wise, for the whole fortnight.

I managed to book a late holiday, by changing some other things I was all booked up for in order to give myself more flexibity on dates. This enabled me to get a late-deal trip with Olympic Holidays (who unlike certain tour operators I could mention not only will "undersell" but also give thumping great discounts to last-minute travellers). I'm now going off on Tuesday morning for a week in northern Crete, in what looks from Google Earth to be a very small quiet place indeed, with a huge beach that has scrubland and olive trees coming right down to the sand in places. I will paint, read, write, swim, eat too much, and walk. At present the BBC world weather forecast for Chania (nearest weather station) is for a sunny week next week. Bliss; sunshine, swimming, solitude, and Cretan food.