Our country is hardly moving, or at least not so fast anymore.
We live these days in a whirl.
On the edge of pulling through the last bits or they are at least dreaming away about what will happen.
However, many also are concerned about what will happen.
Will I be fired after the holiday or am I another victim of the Mexican flu?
According to experts, the recession and the flu will show themselves from their worst side soon. It can be seen in their faces.
Some are looking pale, despite the fact it is already high summer for weeks.
Others are brown tainted and sitting relaxed behind their desks.
Just work for a while, and then we really are going on a holiday.
However, the open-mindedness is something that is far gone this year because now the exciting places may be hazardous this time.
And then the idea that the holidays might be the last ones Mom or Dad gets unemployed.
This in relation with the stranglemorgage they can not cough up moneywise.
In the street you start to find empty places.
You got already quickly used to caravans and motorhomes that decorate the street.
With a certain probability I think that a few of them need to sell their so called “hobbyhome”.
I am also happy that I am not that hooked on going on holidays.
I find it just as much fun on the Costa Backyard as the Costa del Sol.
As myself many parents of young children pressing their last energy out to begin the holiday with as much fun as possible.
I therefore put the pool up and place it in the backyard, the children still had not much interest although the temperature was rising to thirty degrees celcius.
Unfortunately, the kids don't want to do anything fun because they are just tired.
The last bits and pieces were the hardest ones.
Here at home the atmosphere is excited as they understand that we no longer have to get up early.
But if you're awake then you will find Dad downstairs.
I am almost every morning up around six o'clock already, because my body is being painful crying for a hot shower and medication to mute the pain.
After a few days they are used to the new rythm and get out of bed as I have already a half a day behind me.
It is pretty tiring for our kids, waking up every morning at seven o'clock because they have to get ready for school.
But if it is holidaytime, it is tricky in the beginning to sleep in, and it happens the first few days that we shared our breakfast at seven, despite the fact that we all are having summerbreak, but many times after breakfast my oldest daughter goes back to bed.
And I cannot say that this is wrong.
It is only the beginning of July their holidays have just begun.
We only go on a trip at the end of their summer holidays.
It all boils down to a week or five with nothing to do.
(According to my two lovely daughters we find this boring.)
If we sit at the breakfast table, and I prepare for this holiday time, I am bringing up my topic: “Adventure” is the magic word.
Where do you want to go this holiday?
There is a long silence at the breakfast table.
However, my oldest comes up with a few ideas and I write them on paper.
We make a list of adventures park it to the cooker hood.
My youngest doesn't care at all no matter where we go as long as we go by bus.
(she is five and that is her greatest passion.)
Indignation, is widespread when my wife announced that we have no money for these kind of things.
The recession became also active in our savings account.
We will probably not be able to do all adventures but at least a part of them.
We just want to have occasionally the holiday feeling, after the hard work at school where the days were long.
We are happy with a museum and an amusement park this would be enough for us.
It is true, they had to work hard this year because our school was not that good.
The inspection has been very satisfied with the results.
I fear that after the holidays, when school starts again, it will cost the same amount of weeks to return to the harness of getting up on time and yes soon enough it is again November 11 and we are also getting closer to the arrival of Sinterklaas.
Then new strenuous times are there.
There is something unfair in it, they have so much to learn, and I occasionally learn a bit about all the new techniques.
But they are still at the beginning of life and will have at least 45 to 50 years of working for a future to build, I am now somewhere halfway.
I am going to think quietly about it and take a walk through the neighborhood.
It is a confusing time.
Neighbors in shorts are busy packing the camper.
Mothers with children riding hasty and crates full of groceries into the street. (own potatoes rule)
At home my children enjoy their holiday in the garden leave and I walk on quietly thinking.over everything.
Slowly I realize that during my childhood we did not go on holiday because there was simply no money for it.
However, I do not blame my parents because they made great trips with us to the IJselmeer.(the big lake in the middle of the Netherlands.)
We had bread and coffee to go and we bought an ice cream.
This was according to my experience the ultimate holiday.
The Old Sailor,
