So … granted this post will only be interesting to a few of my long-suffering friends, but I thought I’d write a “what I did on my holiday” post – in the Sub B / grade 2 style (with slightly fewer misspellings).

The dreaded family xmas turned out to be FANTASTIC. None of the things that I had imagined would happen did, and all the imagined tension was just that — imagined.

What a pleasure to reconnect with family, some of whom I hadnt seen in 13 years and to learn that we still get on like we always did.

I had a true “return to childhood” holiday – the Natal beach holiday where you never get out of your costume, stay active, run around with water pistols, and sing xmas carols like you mean it.

It was a total break from the grind – especially because I stuck my cell phone on silent and put it in a drawer for 90% of my time away.

Then I headed down to my beloved Eastern Cape to spend New Years in Kleinemonde. Here I continued the completely cut off from the world trend, surprised myself by swimming a mile in one go, and read three meaty novels. We also enjoyed an anti-Oxbraai evening of all things calm and cultured.

Kleinemonde pics are on my flickr photostream.

And now I’m back at work and it’s pissing with rain. Appropriate much?

Only a few weeks into this blog and I already have a six day gap between posts, typical!

I’m running around like a headless chicken currently, doing all the things I poked fun at in this post, like trying to get into slightly better shape (gym trainer: check), finish up loads of urgent work (looming deadlines: check) and mentally prepping for a big family Christmas (overwhelming sense of anxiousness: check).

Our big new project (which I’ve previous alluded to) is due to go live on Monday, 15th. Handing over to client on Thursday, so I have a bunch of late nights lined up, which I am less than pleased about. But following that I should find some down-time which will be a massive relief, to me and my nearest and dearest.

I’m finding it really hard to get into the Christmas spirit for my first festive season back in South Africa. Having lived in the UK for two Decembers you start to understand the “holly and robin” motifs, the need for cheery xmas lights and decorations, the huge meals. But here (in the 30 degree heat, beach sand between your toes [not quite yet] and a gin and tonic in each hand) the fake pine trees begin to look a little ridiculous.

Working on it though, choking down the “bah humbugs” as best I can.

What is it about the threat of a Christmas holiday that scares people into sudden action?

For the second half of the year, the thought of the Christmas break (and possible bonus) is just about all we can use to motivate ourselves to push through another week or month. Half a breath later it’s the second week of October; the Christmas decorations are up in all the shops (what’s with that?) and everyone is entering panic mode trying to cram as much Stuff™ as possible into the last moments of workable time.

One month later and the heat is really on. Clients want things delivered, board meetings abound, and (to add insult to injury) the fecking Christmas carols jingle at you from every angle!

Here’s my question: why the panic? What really changes between the 31^st of one month and the 1^st of another, even if that change includes year change? It’s not even the end of the financial year for most people!!

And for non-business issues: surely you set yourself up for failure if you suddenly try achieve all your previous resolutions in the next 4 weeks, because you didn’t do them in the preceding 11 months? Here’s a hint: quitting smoking and losing weight are not happy bedfellows! When I quit, I ate everything that wasn’t stapled to the table (for about a month).

Maybe I’m just being unnecessarily grouchy, another thing that seems to strike at this time of year.

My resolutions for the next 4 weeks:

1. stop putting off my gym training sessions
2. finish content for the BIG project*
3. get through dreaded extended family Christmas gathering
4. remain sane

*more on this when done