I've just posted on another thread that I have been on holiday for a week. Townie has rather wryly asked: "What is a holiday!' so I thought it might make an interesting thread.

As someone who works in an office I get around 25 days holiday a year plus bank holidays. I aim to take them all - not doing so is like voting for a pay cut. But I appreciate that is far more time off than most people working in farming.

So my question is - how many days off do you reckon you have a year (and by that I mean totally off - no feeding round or a quick check of stock)? Do you actually go away at all during the year? Are you like someone I know who reckons he has had a 'holiday' if he has two consecutive days away from the farm.

 

Does sleeping on a camp bed in the stock trailer at a show count?

Only you can say!

Given the unknown BTV situation it's possible I'll be taking no stock to the Royal Welsh this year, so the annual pilgramage could work out as a holiday.  Does that count?

As someone who's worked freelance most of his working life, holidays have always been a cost-benefit calculation: take one and you lose billable time, don't take one and you lose out on the 'feedom' of being your own boss.  With stock to look after, holidays are a rare luxury because they don't take days off; you can't just down tools and switch off the machinery - the animals have become the bosses as George Orwell predicted.

 

         A holiiday is something you go on when you get a phone call from the VAT, income tax, wages, HSE, or any other forceful member of the SS ( "S"ivil Service) wanting to make an appointment for an official inspection  Tell them you are very busy and  would prefer to arrange a later date and they will demand that you must be available for them.  Tell them that your books are at the accountant and they will demand that you get them back for their visit. Tell them that you have to go to a funeral on that date and they will be waiting for you coming home, Tell them you already have another appointment for that time and they will tell you that you have a statutory requirement to provide details on request! ......... before, reluctantly, arranging their next available time.  But, .....tell them you will be on holiday and they understand that as a satutory right - they wont even arrange another one but will put you off indefinitely.

 Speaking as a student....

More than a fortnight currently, but that will probably change when i start proper work, which I am immensly looking forward to right now cos I am neck deep in Dissertation right now.... DO NOT LIKE.  

tim.:

I am neck deep in Dissertation right now.... DO NOT LIKE

I know what you mean Tim. Every time I find myself wishing I was back at uni so I can have long holidays again, I remind myself about the hell of writing dissertations (I stupidly did two of the evil things) and I'm quickly brought back down to earth!

AllyR:

But, .....tell them you will be on holiday and they understand that as a satutory right

An excellent observation, and if you use the word 'leave' instead of holiday, they will relate to the amoral nature of 'leave' as opposed to the slighly self indulgent tones of the word  'holiday.'

When you have a family as widely scattered round the world as ours you never get a holiday just the occasional trip to visit relatives.

10 days with mother in law coming up[:'(]

        Aaaaaaaaw! He his-self, my heart bleeds for you.

A holiday is when I get up at 04.30 hrs instead of 06.30 hrs so that I can feed and muck out the pigs, let out the poultry, check the sheep... etc., etc. before going to, say, the Royal Welsh for the day, but making sure I get back in time to feed the pigs, shut in the poultry, check the sheep ..... etc., etc. before dark.

I try to take the children away at least once a year even if it is just for a few days.

After the school Easter holidays my sons orchestra group were asked if they had been away anywhere during the holidays. One child had been to Spain, another Skiing, my son put his hand up and dryly pointed out that he had been to the `Furthest Field.`

Hmmmm. Yes it has been a while since we went away anywhere............!

No proper holiday for me, although there will be days when I dont do any work. Havent been overseas for about 6 years, and dont really want to. Fact is I am too tight to go anywhere, as I dont tend to enjoy spending money.

 

TeslaCoils:

and dont really want to.

 

Same here - I enjoy going to work more than going away. But being at school, when i get holiday there, i am mostly working at the farm - its the way i like it to be honest! A day or two is great to have off but it bores me being off for say 3 or 4 days. I am dreading going back tommorow, its all course work and exams - back to the grind!!!

TeslaCoils:

as I dont tend to enjoy spending money

 

same too mate!