In 18 months or is it two years I get my long
service leave, which is firstly an extraordinary thought, and secondly a
somewhat enticing one. I hope I don’t waste it. For a few months now I have had
a fantasy of going to the Aland islands, which are a group of semi-autonomous
islands under the jurisdiction of Finland and mainly Swedish-speaking and
between Finland and Sweden. They do look very nice, though it might sensibly be
asked, why? And also, it might sensibly be pointed out that I have never been to
Norway, Denmark, Korea, Germany, Tierra del Fuego, Kangaroo Island, the
Orkneys, Iceland, Nova Scotia and many other places I have long wanted to
visit. If it comes to that I could handle spending a few weeks in Bairnsdale,
really. And for that matter I could think of worse things than volunteering
with elephants in Thailand.
The end of semester is always the time you (one)
starts thinking about incredibly extensive holidays, anyway, far more than one
needs. I don’t suppose any of my colleagues can afford to dash off instantly
when semester’s teaching ends, but I have a feeling I might have even longer
than most of being responsible, because I have various admin duties. I
certainly do need a holiday though. When the fence is being repaired at
Lorraine, I will go to my father’s holiday house for a few days with the dogs,
and that will be a kind of a holiday. But I should probably go further afield
if I can. At very least, go to my mother’s holiday house at Venus Bay, hang out
with the mobsters, the mangy wombats and the kangaroos… but otherwise alone…
I am not a good holidayer, it’s true. I am wrapped
up in my own self-importance and have to keep checking emails etc to make sure
such-and-such a student has their draft in, etc. The usual crap. My
supervisions never end, though of course I can very legitimately tell people I
will be out of touch for a while (and in truth often they’re probably quite
relieved, they can take a breather…). And there’s even a joke in there too
(‘for a while?’ ha).
This has been a huge semester, at any rate. And it’s
not letting up for a while yet.
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