Monday 2 November 2009

Holiday

It's terrible I should feel guilty about this, but feel I should confess: I snuck out of the country a week last Thursday for a wee break to Paris. It was five days, and I loved it.

Other than a week at my in-laws in Derby over the summer, and a holiday in Skye in January cut short by Labour's school closure announcement, I've not had the chance to get away, relax, and spend some time with my husband since our honeymoon last August. The summer seemed to run away without me; although Council was in recess, the work kept piling in. There were gala days at the weekends and plenty of campaigining to keep me occupied. Before I knew it, committee papers were arriving on my desk again!

Reading this article this morning has made me reflect on the whole work/life balance thing and, although my job is nowhere near as high pressure, I can identify with a lot of what Gaby Hinsliff says. I visited my grandparents yesterday, and was acutely aware that I hadn't made it out to Lanarkshire for the best part of a month. I went over to visit my parents a few weeks before, and couldn't remember the last time I'd been in Carluke. I've not seen old school or uni friends for eons. It seems impossible to fit everything in, and I'm mostly keeping up with people passively through facebook and blogs. The question is, what do I do to correct this?

7 comments:

subrosa said...

Cherish those you care about first because they're not necessarily always going to be around.

For years I put work before everything/everyone and it's the one regret I have these days.

Anonymous said...

I read an interesting comment once along the lines of the one thing you don't want on your gravestone is 'I wish I'd spent more time at the office' ... says it all really.

joe90 kane said...

So many people seem to have too much work on their hands, they are over-worked in fact, and yet, there are so many unemployed.

I suppose maintaining a pool of unemployed is the 'stick' used to keep workers passive - but when there isn't much of a 'carrot' for workers to aim at, it isn't much.

On the more specific point of BB's council workload, I would especially like to see Local Government/Local Authority/Local Democracy being given back the powers, and resources, taken away from them under the great Thatcherite-New Labour centralisation of the British state.

I see BB's blog, myself, as an excellent initiative aimed at bringing more local democracy into her own particular area public work - there aren't much costs involved, as far as I am aware, and she doesn't even get paid for this extra workload she has voluntarily took on.

Excellent thoughts subrosa.

ps
..a holiday in Skye..
- Maybe, like myself, the denizens of BB are big fans of the West Highland Free Press.
If so this might be of interest -
WEST HIGHLAND FREE PRESS
Early Day Motion- EDM 2235

Anne McGuire MP
UK Parliament
04 Nov 2009

joe90 kane said...

I see the (foreign-owned) corporate news scare-stories, using dubious opnion poll results, has began ahead of the Glasgow East by-election -
Salmond poll blow as voters shun SNP
heraldscotland
09 Nov 2009

You couldn't ask for more authoritative and objective sources than TNS and The Herald!

No wonder the Herald's circulation figures are heading towards oblivion.

Anonymous said...

The question is, what do I do to correct this?

RESIGN !

joe90 kane said...

The question is, what do I do to correct this?

RESIGN !

- Aren't the Strathclyde Uni New Labour club members hilarious?

BellgroveBelle said...

Thanks all for your comments and support.