General random update

I’m on holiday. I haven’t had a proper holiday since … last February.

Traditionally, I take the bulk of my leave around the Oscars, because I always take that Monday off anyway so build the rest of my time off around it. Yes, really.

Then I usually have two to three weeks off later in the year, depending on how much leave I have to take.

Of course last year most of my leave plans post-February were jossed because of events outside of my control.

I had a couple of weeks off when I had surgery, and a week or so when Mum died in July but apart from that, nothing.

So I’ve been hanging out for these three weeks since I put the request in – lol.

Patrick’s off from kindy as well so we’re both kind of hanging out. He wants me to build him  a car out of cardboard boxes. I can’t see that going well for me, but he’s four so will hopefully be easy to please – lol.

Other than that, I’ve been surfing and reading; doing some cross stitching, watching the odd movie and catching up on some TV programmes.

At the moment – and I’m aware that I’m more than a bit behind – it’s The Borgias, and I have two episodes of season 1 to go. I’m finding it rather fun in a strange, slightly depraved sort of way. After that I have season 2 of Downton Abbey and season 1 of Game of Thrones to work my way through.

Hopefully by the time I’ve come to the end of those, the terrible summer programming has given way to something with a bit more substance.

Hopefully.

I’m working on a Hairy Maclary cross-stitch for Patrick’s birthday in May and while the pattern is lovely, I should have switched out the fabric and maybe the cottons. The fabric is awful – it’s 14ct aida and very stiff. 14ct isn’t my favourite to work on usually – I prefer 16 or 18 because for me it gives a slightly finer finish but I haven’t worked from a kit for so long that I forgot. The cottons, at least, are DMC so I can replace them if I run out but the colour names given (“pepper grey”, “anthracite grey”, “garlic cream” [garlic cream for goodness’ sake – what is that]) are ambiguous at best.

Hopefully I’ve matched them all pretty well but if I haven’t … well. That’ll be our little secret. :p

I finished Billie’s Kiss by Elizabeth Knox yesterday, which turned out to be my third finish for 2012 although I had started my previous two finishes as December 2011 wound down. I’ve counted them anyway – lol.

Elizabeth Knox is one of my favourite writers and I need to sort my always rambly feelings in order to write a review.

I started IQ84 today for the readalong with Care, but only got about 19 pages in before I dozed off. That’s what being on holiday with a four year old does for you. Heh.

It’s baking hot and dry here at the moment, and as I understand it we’re nearly the only part of the country not being excessively rained upon. I’m no heat-seeker so have been spending the bulk of it inside and forgetting that the heat pump also has air-conditioning. Oops.

I’m not going back to work till January 25 so I have another two weeks off, basically.

Nice.