13 months

well the time has come... for all good things to come to an end. It is hard to believe that i have not had a "real job" since 1 feb 2008. how time flies when you are having fun.

so what does a man do when he is not "working"?

- he cooks and he cleans (well some do apparently)
- he helps kids learn how to drive (maybe)
- he does a few odd jobs - including a couple of backyard blitz'
- he reads the paper and magazines (cooking ones actually) (but no books - i cant believe that)
- he rides his bike less often than when he was working (go figure)
- he starts, but never completes french lessons so he still has "un peu francaise"
- he does some manual labour - like window/carpet cleaning, being a brickies labourer and working in a bottle shop
- he spends a bit of time with his dad (especially when he was first in hospital)
- he sets up a consulting business (well sort of)
- he applies for probably 25-30 real jobs (but only those that really interest him)
- he loses money (lots of it) like everyone who ever owned a share
- he loses no weight (despite his best intentions)
- he changes his outlook on life (well sort of)

So after turning the big 50 and getting a real job and also learning that he (and his remaining nuclear family in Perth) are off to London later in the year what does he do?

- he goes off to his "real job" for 8.00am on Monday and gives them his best
- he carries on working in the bottleshop (tues/fri nights); and
- he gets set to go to London (in 25 weeks and there is so much to do/think about)

life is going to get real interesting/busy again real soon (like Monday morning).

Oh - i did manage a 10 day actual holiday in the 13 month i was off. strange really i might of had more "formal" holidays if i had actually been working.

Do i regret a minute of it - definitely not. it was fantastic to have a year without real structure.

Am i ready for the next 6 months - you bet, let me at it.

beyond that who knows what life holds? I dont and frankly i dont care. Sometimes we worry about things we simply have no control over.

I feel lucky - i now live with a sense that the days will look after themselves without too much interference from me and we will be OK or better (in a relative sense)