Long break between posts

School holidays -- and there lay well-laid plans in tatters. What I planned to do:
(i) finish rewrite (done, but much later than expected)
(ii) finish editing pass of novel (er, not done)
(iii) finish writing online material for work (er, not done, three week deadline pending)
(iv) type up editing notes for classes (er, not started)
(v) prepare reader for new subject (not started)
(vi) prepare classes for new subject (not started)
(vii) keep up with blogs (not doing so well, obviously)
(viii) increase my exercise (sporadically done)
(ix) spend lots of time doing stuff with kids (done and dusted).

I find my attitude towards the holidays is almost contradictory. On one hand, I want a break; on the other, it seems the perfect opportunity to get stuff done to take the pressure off later. Now I'm back at work, and meeting with other teachers in time off, and the realisation is the holidays have passed me by, and I've achieved very little of what I set out to do. I have rested though. We've been away twice: the prom weekend and this last weekend with friends. We've seen lots of films, one live show, and been bowling several times. The kids relish the holidays -- but it does seem that no matter how much time you give them, they want more. They look jealously at any time spent working on my projects. But that's just kids, I guess. They don't want a share of the pie -- they want the whole thing.

I long for them to be back at school so I have more time to myself, and I dread it because then the stress of getting them ready for school and ferrying them to all their activities begins. Then they go from happy, carefree children all of the time, to stressed individuals that need more support. I long for time to myself, but have so much work to do in that time that I won't feel relaxed about it. I'm just like the kids: whatever I have I want more of. I'm never happy. (Actually, not true -- most of the time I feel reasonably happy. Just feeling a bit under the gun at the moment, but that's my own doing -- the price of feeling relaxed for so long.)

Here's a photo of sunset walk a couple of weeks ago. I'd post more but blogger's being funny. Maybe tomorrow?