45 min. and counting…

Vacation. The last hour or so before vacation are always the worst. You don’t want to leave anything behind that others might have to take care of, so you sort that all out, get the running stuff done, file everything that needs filing and do it all in good time. Then you wait for the clock to hit TIGF time. OK, so technically it’s Thursday, but it’s the Thurs. before Good Friday which is a holiday (as is Easter Monday), which means no work tomorrow, ergo, it’s Friday.

Just to integrate you into Swiss life a bit more, tomorrow is Sun. I know, it’s Friday, but it’s Sunday. Here, shops (including yarn shops) are closed on Sundays and holidays, so holidays are referred to as Sun. since your activity options are very much the same. You can: Go to church, take a Sun. drive or walk, participate in any sports or hobbies that don’t require a store – skiing is exempt as it is a seasonal sport and they are reliant on people coming for the weekend - read, watch telly, KNIT, or go out to eat (some places, not all are open). Other than that, your options are limited. In addition to no shopping, you’re not allowed to do anything that could possibly annoy your neighbours, like make noise of any kind. This means no lawn mowing, loud music, hammering etc. If you live in an apartment building, you’re also not allowed to do laundry or clean. Basically, if it makes noise, you can’t do it. Tomorrow is such a day, ergo, it is Sunday.

Now I know many will be thinking this is horrendous, and it is to a certain extent, but it is so and you get used to it. You learn to do everything on the days when you are allowed and just deal with not being able to do it on a Sunday. It’s annoying, but doable. Now, look on the bright side of this: You can sit and knit in peace All. Day. Long.

Knitting is quiet. It makes no noise (as long as you don’t swear too loudly or have screaming fits of anger), and since you can’t do much else, it’s a ready made excuse to do just that. Knit, read, sleep. This is what happens on a Sunday in my apartment. OK, I do have to walk the dogs for 2-3 hours a day, so I do get out in the fresh air a bit, but that only makes me enjoy it more when I can plank my butt on the couch and read, sleep, knit for several hours at a time.

The best part of it is that tomorrow is not only a Sunday, but the weather is supposed to be bad. Cold, snowy and rainy. Perfect. I love this type of weather. Yes, you heard me correctly, Love. Why? First of all, I loath the sun. My brain is wired wrong. I know, but c’est la vie. Secondly, poor weather means that people will stay at home and kindly leave me to walk my dogs in peace without having to dodge the whole of Switzerland. Sunny Sundays are an absolute horror for dog walking. If you haven’t gone by 9am, you might as well prepare to keep your dog on the leash for the entire walk because the otherwise empty pathways are packed with people. It’s like having a ant explosion on your garden walkway. You cannot move without hitting another ant/person. This makes me want to hide until it’s dark and they’ve all gone home. If I wanted to stand in the middle of a hoard of people, I’d go to a concert or football game, not try to take my dogs for a walk. I’m a little anti-social. Did anyone pick up on that? Anyway, the cold, snowy/rainy/windy weather will also mean that after the dog walk, I can go home, light a few candles and ensconce myself on my couch with a hot water bottle and read, sleep and knit and watch my rental DVDs in complete comfort. There is nothing better. Bliss. I am anticipating bliss. THREE whole Sundays of it. Friday Sunday, Sunday Sunday and Monday Sunday. *sigh*

Then I have 4 days of vacation, one Sat. and yet another Sunday Sunday. Granted, that one is a bit marred by the knowledge that the following Monday means work again, but I’ll live with that in the knowledge of getting three whole beautiful cold, rainy, snowy, windy Sundays in a row.

The down side? Sat. is the only day I can do my grocery shopping and it will be HELL. You’d think the shops were closed for a month the way people shop on Easter Sat. Add to that that they close at 4pm on Sat. and chaos is programmed. I will be up early on Sat. to try and beat the crowds. Did that last year. Got in, parked, shopped and way out by 9am (they don’t open until 8am). By the time I left, there was a 3km long line of traffic waiting to get into the store’s parking lot. Must. Get. There. Early. Before all the food supplies in Switzerland have been depleated.