Today I'm home sick with "manflu". In the old days if I had a sore throat that felt like I'd swallowed a few razor blades I'd soldier on, turn up for work, talk all day (something I can't avoid, being in the medical advice business), and probably spread further the germs that I inevitably picked up at work in the first place. These days, however, with over 400 hours of sick leave entitlements, I no longer feel any pressure about letting down the team. I now hunker down, take a healthy dose of vitamin C and espresso coffee, snuggle under the doona with a good book and the choccy dog and give myself some TLC. I think I'm maturing as a person....
Talking about the choccy dog, there is something very endearing about my favourite hot water bottle actually choosing to snuggle up next to mum for an ear rub and cuddle. 'specially when I'm sick. If only she could rustle up a nice hot chicken soup!
Three weeks tonight I fly out to NZ for more ski goddess hedonism. In 10 days I finish work. For six months. Not like I'm counting or anything.
A couple of weeks ago I hit a nasty down spot, when I realised I had slipped back into the depression I've had on and off for many years. Not the debilitating state I got into back in 2008, but down enough that I had no motivation to do anything - work, exercise, cleaning the house (no wait, that's normal!) - and wasn't even looking forward to my holiday. Thankfully, realising where I was helped me to pick myself up again, get out pounding the pavements to get the endorphin levels up, and force myself out of that fug. Yep, insight does help, if you don't deny your depression you damn well have to do something about it.
The final three weeks are going to be very busy, but mostly with doing me things versus all those other things I'm always getting involved in. Not that I want to get out of doing the volunteer activities I'm involved in, it's just quite a juggle finding time for everything. Fortunately, we've finished both our Oxfam and Coastcare duties for the time being, so aside from writing a magazine article and presenting at an upcoming conference, I'm free to spend the next 3 weeks doing house and garden things. Yay!!
I am going to have a go at building my tyre wall in the backyard - nothing like some serious shovelling, lifting and pounding to get in shape for a ski trip. I've about 20 tyres to start off with, if they go well I'm assured of heaps more. It costs a lot to send them to the tip, so the local tyre retailers are all too happy to offload the old ones for free. Yep, I'm such a hippy...
I also want to sort out the reticulation now I've managed to get the rain tank stand up for the fourth time (the one up the top of my property that gravity feeds the vege patch, but has fallen down a few times, OK 3 times already!). This time it's on sturdy wooden piles with the load spread properly. The tank has been full for 3 weeks with no imminent lean, cracking wood, or loud thumps in the night. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, click here.
I'm already semi packed - a pretty easy proposition when everything I take with me (aside from underwear) I would never ever wear here as our winters are too warm for fleeces and what not. OK, I do put a jumper on in winter, but it's usually over a t-shirt!! And yes, the onesy is packed and ready even if I do have a spanking new pair of Colombia skipants for this season. I mean, the goddess has to have a wardrobe en piste too, and once the luggage goes over the limit, it's the same price for the extra bag whether there's two kilos, or 23!!
But the real countdown is till Saturday, mum's birthday, and the start of a few weeks of falling asleep in front of the telly watching my favourite sporting event of the year. I'm starting early watching the highlights from last year's show, quite nostalgic and enjoyable, and particularly looking forward to the footage I missed out on last year when flying over the ditch to geoblocked NZ. And come Saturday night I'll be all ready for the prologue in Liege!
Ah, vive le tour!!
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