Springtime

Well, it's that time of year again. Mr John's students have long finished Grade 6. I'm pretty sure the high school students are done and dusted. Even the primary school little ones are just about done for another school year. This also means the annual back-packer teachers are heading off to pastures new. Most have already "left the building" and who can blame them. 

I'm really not sure why all schools insist on teachers staying to the end of March when the vast majority of students finish late February / early March. Unless, of course, they're staying on for another year.  I mean, it would save them money and give people freedom to book there flights out of "Dodge". You would be shocked how much airfares go up on April 1 - and that's no joke. 

Meanwhile, Mr John is busy sorting his desk, making sure his filing system is flawless and working on some new ideas for the next school year. I'm not 100% sure if he's being proactive or just keeping out of my way as I spring clean the house. As regular readers will know, he totally messes with my routine when he's on holiday a sentiment echoed by many of my married friends - about their husbands and not Mr John specifically. 

Of course, technically, it's not "spring cleaning" as there's no such thing as Spring here. The weather lurches from "winter" which is basically a less muggy period from the rest of the year to ridiculous hot and muggy around April followed by "the wet" which runs roughly June to October. We've been quite lucky the last couple of weeks where the mornings and evenings have been quite temperate, not so much this week. We're definitely getting a taste of things to come,

For the first time in three years however, we are not waiting with trepidation for the hot spell because we're off to the UK for five weeks. We're really looking forward to it and are hoping for a cold spell much to the chagrin of family and friends. Mr John is particularly looking forward to some "real" beer. He was asked the other day what he wanted for his first dinner in the country. His response ... everything! 

Doesn't five weeks sound like a super huge time? Trust me, it's not. Not when you have family scattered around the country and friends in all four corners of the land. Honestly, it is reminiscent of our trips home to Australia where we try to see everyone covering three states and failing dismally. Mr John still hasn't seen some great spots in Melbourne like Como House. Next time! 

What we have done for this upcoming visit though is grab some time in London to do proper tourist things. In fact, I know London better than Mr John so it'll be nice showing him around he's going to kill me for that comment. It's only four days and it's sandwiched between our trip to Devon and heading back to the north west. Best of all, we get to catch up with friends while we're in London too, including the lovely Leon. We really can't wait to see everyone.