The worm turns

I thought I'd treat myself to an afternoon out today.  I went to a nearby nature reserve, armed with camera and binoculars, to see what it had to offer.  I didn't find much birdlife, but I did explore an ancient quarry (the safe bits anyway), and I'm sure I derived great physical benefit from the nature trail which went up and down some fairly steep slopes.

The final bit passed over an empty stretch of meadowland, which reminded me of a particular swathe of Norfolk farmland that had been left out of use for a while.  It was nice to be in the countryside with no pressing purpose, just to wander freely in the quiet and solitude.  And perhaps the best bit about it was that the decision to go wasn't even on the table until about fifteen minutes before I left home!

When I first moved to this part of the country, I used to spend most of my Sunday afternoons exploring the nearby villages, and seeing which pubs did the best roast dinners!  I find that, now I've taken up this 'second career' driving all week, my usual aim on Sundays is to get home quickly from church and spend the rest of the day in front of the computer (I don't have a TV), and if I do go out for lunch, it's to the nearest pub and straight back again.  The end result is that a sort of monochrome blanket descends over all weekends: they all fall into the same pattern, and less satisfaction is the result.

Now, I realise that there has to be a certain structure to life, and I for one would be lost without it, but I'm beginning to realise that there can be a bit too much of it sometimes.  A few years ago I developed the habit of working most Saturdays, and a lot of formerly regular interests got squeezed out of life.  I feel it's time to try to nudge the pendulum of life in the opposite direction.  In those days, if I wasn't going to work on Saturday, I felt constrained to explain why.  This week, when I was asked, I considered, said 'no,' and was about to add 'I'm ringing bells for a wedding in the afternoon,' when I thought, 'but what business is it of yours?' and said nothing.

Although we are self-employed, I for one am in the habit of doing what I'm told five days a week; it makes for a good working relationship (see recent 'rough-smooth' blog).  But the sixth one is mine!