Last day at work

Today, Thursday 21st May is my last day of work and I'm sad. UCC is a lovely place to work but the recession bites and I have to go. My kids are delighted as they get to have me back in their lives. My son Conor (11) has said even though I'm at the table at mealtimes he can tell I'm somewhere else. My oldest son Tom in a rare moment of eloquence, "You give everything to work including working through your breaks and when you get home, you're not here for us." At that point I was sipping a cup of tea with my hot water bottle tucked under my arm and heading for bed, at 6.30 pm. It was time to take stock and redress the balance between my need/hunger to work and giving my children what they need. I need the structure a job gives. Voluntary work doesn't cut it, I'm not house proud and you can only plant so many geraniums. They're glad it's over. For now. On the plus side, the timing is perfect. Losing your job at the beginning of summer is sweet. Losing it in November having worked through the summer would be a kick in the teeth.
The weather is rotten. Wet, very wet and cold, wet and windy. Summer my foot. I'm still in my winter woollies and the termal underwear is here for another while. But if you remember the summers of 2003 and 2006, they were fabuluous. May 2003 was the wettest May on record and that's saying something for Ireland, the wettest country in the world. On the law of averages we are due a great summer; and we seem to be getting them in cycles of three.

On the 13th of June the entire family fly to London. On the 14th we head to India for three nights, then Singapore for a week - I could do with a decent massage, Hong Kong for a week - get some cheap jewellery in the Jade Market, Sydney for a week to meet up with my friends, Ian, Asim, Sam and Miggs, New Zealand where I know nobody - living there that is - for two weeks. Having lived in Asia nine years it shamed me that we never took the extra mile to visit the most beautiful stunning country in the world. We'll hire a camper van and just drive through the two islands. Then Rarotonga which I think is in Fiji for a week, Los Angeles for two weeks where we will hire another camper van and drive out to see the Grand Canyon and Arizona. I could do with a bit of heat in my bones. Then New York for a week. That's the one stop the boys are looking forward to the most, the coolest city in the world. Tom wants us to buy him loads of clothes in the US. He's 15 and discovered fashion. I told him he could use his savings. He protested that was his car money. Here's a valuable lesson son, there is only one pot of money; you can't have your cake and eat it too.

On my travels, I will contribute to my blog regularly. Daily if I can.

Your pal,

Geraldine