upyerfud

I'm in Phuket. Due to pre-voting for next weeks election, all pubs are closed, apart from those that sell food. Means there's a lot of unhappy Aussie's, bar workers, tourists and other 'entertainment' people. It's been like this since Saturday morning and finishes at midnight Sunday.
Anyone planing to visit Thailand next weekend, be aware its going to be the same for the election proper.

berserk

And isnt there unrest in Bangkok to tope the government?

moneypenny20

Nowt.

DeadVim

Not great, I wish you better health soon.

We spent the morning at the Docs, the OH has been battling a nasty ear infection for a while. Not much fun on a holiday when everyone else is celebrating.

Such is the stuff of life I guess ...

spouse of scouse

We went to my Mum and stepdad's place for morning tea. My lovely Mum (80 last month) spent all yesterday making lamingtons and sausage rolls. As each of her 'chickens' (as she calls us adult offspring) arrived with their other halves, kids, waifs and strays, she handed us a temporary tattoo of the Australian flag with the recommendation that we apply it - so of course we all did

Cracked a few bottles of bubbly, toasted our luck in living in a country of relative freedom and affluence, and sang Advance Australia Fair (very badly), with one of the outlaws hopping around taking embarrassing videos of us all. 86 year old Austrian stepdad, who was conscripted into Hilter's Youth as a 16 year old, sang the loudest of all - until about ten years ago he did the RSL set up for the King's Park Anzac Day dawn service. He has cancer, but still dug a new soak well last week.

It was beaut! Thanks Ma and Frank

BadgeIsBack

I spent the entire weekend confused as to whether Sunday or Monday was the day...so gave up and decided to just observe 3 days.

in the way Christmas Eve ushers in the season; Australia Day (and the first day of term) concludes it...

It is a special time of year for us (my favourite time of year) and we've had a month to remember.Visits to beach-houses, country properties, campsites to name a few. There has barely been a day (or weekend) I should say we have been at home.

I can't imagine trading this season for a Northern Hemisphere Christmas.
Apologies due for all the people hanging out for a day of snow!

Jon77

I love Christmas to the 25th Jan.

berserk

It was interesting to see the relatively huge participation of Indigenous Australians during the Perth Australia Day (aka "Invasion Day") celebrations this weekend.

BadgeIsBack

It's become a fixture - even the heat, when it comes, is made bearable by welcome changes and swimming. It's actually something I am not sure I could do without, even.

I've said many a time that the season is defined by summer hols, not just the 2 public days that constitute Christmas. Not understanding the unknown I am not even sure
if term starting in September is particularly sane, sort of out of synch with New Year.

carolinephillips

Traditionally the new school year began after the harvest was in. Kids had a long summer holiday because they were needed in the fields. If they had started an academic year in January and finished in December, after a 6-8 week break they could not be expected to remember all they had been taught that year, and then only have a few weeks before end of year exams. My primary school used to have an early start (8.15) and early finish (2.45), relics of times when the kids had to be back to milk cows and get animals etc in. It also had long lunchbreaks- mainly so the head could go to the pub opposite!!

paulry

When I lived in Britain there was much talk about reducing the number of weeks in the summer holidays to take into account the fact that most parents are unable to take so much time off work to look after their kids. And most kids spend half their lives on their computers anyway so they might as well be at school.

Kim67

I think six weeks off is good for everyone - it gives time to relax and recharge the batteries for kids and their parents. The school year is really busy and for us most of the school holidays are taken up with extra-curricular stuff too. This summer we managed to get a couple of weeks off in the middle where number 3 child wasn't performing (first couple of weeks of the holidays with Qld Ballet and last couple with Ballet Theatre of Qld). We're all shattered at the end of the school year and need to have a couple of weeks of sleeping in and just relaxing.