school's out for summer

Last day of school today for this year. Also F’s last day ever in Primary School. There is a special farewell celebration this afternoon with food, speeches and performances; then a final fun event for the kids tomorrow at the local swimming pool, and that’s it. Schools out for summer.

I went for a walk in the rain this morning. I stopped to take a photo of a rainbow over a bright green paddock, and of  the whitened bones of a road-kill victim, a wallaby. I let my mind wander pleasurably into next week and back. We’re going to Melbourne for Christmas.

Back home, I pulled a few weeds out of the damp garden before I went inside. Oh my God! It’s almost eight ‘o clock and F is still fast asleep, sprawled in a tangle of sheets. He forgot to set his alarm clock, I forgot to wake him up. Come on Darling, get up, hurry up, we’re late!

We are prematurely in holiday-mode, obviously. Just can’t wait to unplug from the relentless schooltime routine. Last night F couldn’t go to sleep because he was so excited about the holidays. He sat on his bed playing his clarinet till I finally insisted on turning the light out.  

I stayed up late sorting out the papers on my desk, paying bills and filing stuff. At midnight my desk was clear of backlog, hallelujah. How I love a clear surface.

All the ‘finishing up for the year’ things.  Christmas parties large and small: The Writers Centre, the Community College where I run my courses, a dinner-gathering of the women in my yoga class, the neighbours' annual street party (Held indoors this year on account of the rain).  The marimba group met on Tuesday for the last time this year, and the final  session of my writing workshop was last Monday. Students gave me home made pickles and a card and brought pancakes for morning tea. The last meeting of  the Gestalt supervision group was  on Wednesday. No more  clients till next year, no more articles for the paper. Everything tied up with a bow on top and posted off into next year.

And we  head  off into the uncharted waters of the Summer Holidays - Yippee!