- 2 years ago
24 September 2021
School holidays are now well underway in NSW and Victoria and, with stay-at-home orders in place across both Sydney and Melbourne, most working in pharma aren’t able to go anywhere. Yet by the number of out-of-office messages I’m getting, it seems many of you are taking the opportunity to at least take a break from the long hours of Teams meetings, webinars and the usual computer-based work.
For those in the holiday mode – and those of us just dreaming of a holiday – here are my top five suggestions for how to holiday at home.
1. Picnic in the park. Obvious, yes, as this is the ultimate lockdown pastime but why not make a real outing of it? Pack the blanket, a bottle of wine, some great cheeses, bread – whatever it is you fancy. Ask some friends along – either in your vaccinated five (for Sydney) or to sit a safe distance away but close enough to chat. We’re all missing social interaction and outside is the safest place to do it.
2. Plan a date night. We’ve actually done this. My partner asked me to an at-home date, bought the best food he could find within our 5km radius, opened a good bottle of wine, lit the candles and we settled back to really enjoy the night. Living and working in the same abode can mean we all get a little sick of seeing the same person day in, day out but when you take the time to talk, you (hopefully) will remember why you’re cohabitating in the first place.
3. Party like no one’s watching. Well, no one actually will be watching, but you get the point. Put on your favourite dance music, take off your shoes and bop till you drop. Nothing like a really good dance to get the blood pumping and the adrenaline flowing. Try for a neighbourhood noise complaint (remember those?). What’s your favourite dance number? I’m stuck in the eighties so ‘C’mon Eileen’ does it every time, along with ‘Wake me up before you go go’.
4. Take a virtual holiday. If I was living my perfect holiday, I would be hiking the Dolomites in Italy or crossing the Pyrenees. At the very least, I’d be exploring New Zealand’s high backcountry. So how to do this at home? Put the gear on and find a show that takes you there. Want to walk the Camino Way? Put on the hiking boots and watch ‘The Way’. Cruising your thing? A deckchair, sunglasses and reruns of ‘The Love Boat’ should do it. Green English countryside your fantasy? Gumboots and Clarkson’s Farm will have you there in no time.
5. Go camping. Set up the tent, unpack the sleeping bags, pull out the camp food and head out to the backyard for the night. If you live in a unit, switch off anything electric and set up in the lounge room. Cooking marshmallows could be tricky indoors but if you’re outside, sacrifice a patch of lawn and light a fire. Whether you have kids or not, you’ll love the feeling of spending a night outdoors.
Holidaying at home isn’t where most of us want to be, especially given those valuable annual leave days you use up that otherwise would have gone towards a beach holiday or an overseas adventure, but kudos to those taking a break to rest and recharge these school holidays. May you return fresh and ready to take on the challenges of the months ahead.
As vaccination rates climb and we countdown to Christmas (just 92 more sleeps), we will be back enjoying holidays away from home before you know it. You never know, you might actually even want to holiday at home again one day!
©MedNews 2021