The Adventure of the Easter Break

Sometimes I have a carefully thought out plan for a blog post but sometimes inspiration has not struck and I never quite know where things are going to go. This is one of the latter. 

So, what's been happening in my life? Well, I turned twenty-nine. My birthday itself was actually rather nice with my friends and colleagues putting the effort in to do something nice and my parents coming round for a Nando's via Deliveroo. Whilst Nando's always tastes great, this one was extra lovely. I felt very fortunate to have such lovely people in my life who showed they care about me.

Of course, turning twenty-nine means that next year I'll be thirty. I feel a weird paradox of understanding that thirty is not all that old in the grand scheme of things yet at the same time it seems somehow ancient. I stumbled across a Twitter thread where someone was talking about millennials and their attitude towards age. They suggested part of feeling old is about not really knowing what being an adult actually means. Benchmarks are things like getting married and having children which are a world away from my reality right now. 

Even any prospect of a relationship seems improbable right now. I've noticed how much society is obsessed with the idea that you need a partner in order to be in complete and happy. As much as I have moments where I would like to share an experience with someone, I don't really feel like I'm missing out because I'm single. I'm perfectly happy having my own space and not having to worry about keeping someone else happy. Mind you, I find living my own is a pain in some respects in that most things aren't designed for single people and it can be hard to buy things that don't end up wasted. Single people need to eat too, food manufacturers! 

Anyway, I was talking about approaching thirty. The one thing I have achieved which feels adult is owning my own home. But even that doesn't feel like much of an achievement, it only happened because I was lucky enough to be able to spend six years living with my parents very cheaply. I do wonder if there will ever come a point where I really feel like an adult. I still feel like a teenager hopelessly improvising my way through life and never being quite sure what I'm doing. Will I still feel like this when I'm sixty?

In other news, as I write the Easter holidays have just begun. I'm glad of the break after what has been perhaps the strangest term of my career thus far. Back in January it varied between having more students than staff and feeling rather bored to sometimes being the only member of my staff team in. When the schools opened once more the other students returned which was lovely although recent weeks have included a huge amount of stress. It feels like some sort of achievement having worked through two national lockdowns in this academic year and being the only member of my team to have literally been there day in, day out. 

I'm pleased to have a rest now and I'm looking forward to lots of walking, lots of film-watching and finally being able to meet up with friends for the first time in six months. I'm also working to spruce up the backyard which isn't in a great state, especially in a year where meeting inside is likely to be restricted for some time to come. Today I've been busily sawing up some random bits of wood that were there which is the most practical thing I've done for many a year and have also been dealing with various workmen to organise some small jobs that need doing which are way beyond my abilities. They seem hugely keen for work at the moment but I hate the feeling of having to discuss things I don't really understand and trying to work out if the price they quoted is in any way reasonable. A guy gave me a a quote for replacing a broken fence post and there was an awkward pause as it dawned on me I had literally no clue on what was a sensible price for such a job. Somehow he ended up knocking a little bit off due to the lack of a response! 

Hopefully this came out as something which flows quite well. No doubt I'll be back soon with more ramblings. 

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