Christmas also marks a winding down for us. Lynda's work comes to a stop by the second week of December whilst I usually work over the Christmas period as magazine deadlines come early in the new year. This year however, that winding down process is a little more pronounced than normal.
With the moving date now set in stone, a strange malaise has settled over the house. We've started 'considering' purchases. Things we'd have picked up or repaired previously suddenly become a source of much soul searching and discussion. Having that fixed date has changed everything.
Here's a great example. In our bedroom, we have a nice candlelight style ceiling light. It takes five energy saver bulbs. At the moment, two of those bulbs have stopped working. Now normally we'd pop to IKEA, pick up a pack of two replacement bulbs and change out the broken ones. However, now we question 'whether it's worth it'. The three working bulbs still provide enough light when we need it, so why bother replacing them? The same goes for poor Harley. A rusty wheel arch now stand no chance of getting repaired.
Even Christmas isn't safe, with both Lynda and Myself asking for some types of gift not to be given, to save packing them up later in the year. It's very strange. Another great example happened just this Sunday. It was our 15th wedding anniversary and I got a cracking little gift from Lynda. A collectors figure from the Watchmen. (The 15th anniversary says its the crystal/watch anniversary.). The figure is great, but with the move coming , I'm leaving the figure in its box and it'll be packed up this week into a bigger box.
It's not just physical things that are getting short shrift. We're under a year away from moving so no new contracts for phones or Internet or anything else being taking out. It's weird. It's almost like we've 'checked out' already. The body may be in the UK, but our heads are firmly in Vienna.
Next year promises to be interesting. Certainly it'll be different. Keeping with our winding down theme, there's the planning of next years summer holiday. Christmas is traditionally the time when I book the summer holiday, sort out hotels and all that. Obviously, the big summer holiday isn't happening as cash and resources are diverted to van hire and crazy stuff. So like everything else, the wind down is changing everything.
With the clock ticking down, the amount of crazy will only increase. Fortunately, we have a little break booked just before Christmas to unwind and prepare for the year ahead. And where are we going? Vienna, where else?
Jess
