Another Bank Holiday! Yippee!! Well, that's how it looks from my little corner of Wiltshire. I know the sun may not shine and buses will be as rare as harebells in Piccadilly - but it's still a holiday. Wrap up warm if you need to, but let's go out to play.
Okay, not everyone sees it like that. All these short weeks, they disrupt important things like work, and school, and family routines. We need to shape our days, our weeks, so we know where we are, what time to get up and go out and come home again.
The economists bleat about productivity. We need to work to make stuff or provide stuff so that other people can buy stuff or do stuff - and this generates money which goes towards taxes that pay for schools and hospitals ... blah blah blah.
I understand that, for some people, the world feels very unsafe without routines. And I also get that, if we had holidays every day, the economy would be a bit of a mess.
But me - well this is a short post because I'm in the 'throwing-my-hat-in-the-air, it's a holiday' corner. I'm out to do something wonderful - no idea what, but I'll love it when I get there.
And you? Those of you to have time to read blogs today - do you enjoy the time off or are you filling in the hours until life returns to normal?
Unable to get a job, unwell or retired, one loses weekends and bank holidays which throws huge responsibility onto each of us as to what to do with our precious time.
ReplyDeleteAccepting that difficulties arise from illness and un-chosen unemployment but I do believe that we are generally ill equipped to make such "What shall I do now?" decisions...
,, which is a crying shame since there is so much more to life out there and within us all than 'working for the man' and selling massive chunks of our time to any bidder who will take us.
I would the UK to try Universal Basic Income to free ourselves for more creativity and kindness - but then I am an unashamed 60s idealist when we hippies and post hippies believed passionately that being kind to others was given and our society would improve for all year on year ...
... instead, we are where we sadly are ... although here still is much that is beautiful in this world ... let's find ways to protect it, share it and develop it
Enjoy your spontaneous day Jo !
As an aging hippy, I'm with you on the basic wage thing. And making the most of a beautiful world!
DeleteThey take me by surprise, Jo. As a freelancer, I tend to forget about them, but yes, they can be fun!
ReplyDeleteI know how they tend to creep up on us, but I still love them!
DeleteThere are quite a lot of public holidays in Germany, in May we have four: 1st of May, Whit Monday, Ascension Thursday and Corpus Christi Thursday. On these days, all shops are closed and if you want to cut the lawn or do any visible work around your house, you better have tolerant neighbours. I do hang the laundry outside but only just.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is a very secular country BTW.
When I was working in a workers co-operative in Ireland, we often failed in organising fair compensation for those who did not work Mondays and thus never had that day off. There was a very complicated trade union formula that never quite got it right.
I remember the challenge of making sure part-time workers got a fair deal over Bank Holidays. I also used to provide therapy for traumatised children, and some with sessions on a Monday could struggle if they had to miss a week. So it know Bank Holidays have their difficulties. And lucky Germany, with loads of holidays!
DeleteHave fun, Jo, whatever you do!
ReplyDeleteHave fun, Jo, whatever you do!
ReplyDeleteIt's been a great holiday week end here. I 've had my two granddaughters staying since Friday. We've had sun, the fair, paddling pools and cuddles. They've just gone home and it's so quiet again.
ReplyDeleteIt's quiet - and you're knackered?
DeleteLots of small outings and pottering in the garden. Bliss.
ReplyDeleteI loved, loved these two May bank Holidays. I used the first one to go to Richmond Park and do some walking in southwest London. I used the second one to go out on my bike. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.