Every country seems to have it - that mad time of the year towards the end of the summer holidays when everyone hurtles Lemming-like towards the coast for one last blast of down time before the new working year unfolds. In the UK, of course, it was the August Bank Holiday, when the entire population of the United Kingdom gets into its cars and drives towards Cornwall - though usually only making it as far as the Maccers at the Exeter services, due to weight of traffic. If you’re lucky, you can make it from the Midlands to Cornwall in about five hours - so if you set off at midday you can make it to Newquay just in time to watch the ceremonial knife fights outside the Sailors ‘nightclub’.

Over here the equivalent (and it is in every way directly equivalent) of the August Bank Holiday rush is the Australia Day long weekend. Australia Day comes right at the very end of the school summer holidays on the 26th of January - typically only a couple of days before the new school year begins. This year it falls on a Monday - Tuesday is uniform shop day and Wednesday the little darlings return to school.

Blog entry continues here.