Holiday fatigue set in days ago and now thankfully the good times have come to an end. Is it just me or do holidays sometimes outstay their welcome? I get antsy when I'm footloose and fancy-free. I have a weirdly anxious reaction any time 'relaxation' is on the menu. A bit like the prescribed "fun" of hen parties or important birthdays. It's all a bit too premeditated, with too much build up. How could any of these events live up to the funspectations we harboured in advance of them?
Same goes for the Easter holidays round my house. There was a LOT of best-laid plans. Plans to cherish time together as a family. To clean out the under stairs cupboard. To cook nice meals and do the relaxed kind of family entertaining, one sees on Instagram. To attend edifying children's workshops. To go to Ikea.
In the end, of course, the reality was somewhat less considered – it didn't need to be. The weather played ball, and we realised how little else you actually have to do to have a good time when the sun is shining. My proposed activities were totally surplus to requirement once the weather kicked in. I didn't really need to consciously entertain my son I could just turn him loose in the yard while I sat in a chair and wondered why people in good weather countries are EVER unhappy? Why is there so much conflict in hot countries when they get 'the weather'? My only nod to home improvement was to hang up the hammock and replenish the ice tray in a timely and prompt fashion.
Now for the final day of the holidays the weather is playing ball once more though this time it's reminding us that the holidays, like the weather, were fleeting but wonderful and now it's back to normality.
Make the most of this last afternoon before routine kicks back in with some great rainy day ideas like
indoor camping complete with unctuous s'mores, a
scavenger hunt (we've done the clues for you) or
easy indoor games.
