Holiday time is getting close!

It’s been an eventful year. I promise I am not going to go into the doom and gloom. My job in the business is HR, training and development. I have to say, without going into detail that my life, this year has been focused on HR. Ya bams. I guess, with 90 staff, you have to expect a bit of ‘ups and downs’, but COME ON! It’s been challenging to say the least. I am still taking applications for a PA. This person must be able to organise me (good luck with that), and have broad shoulders. I have had an interested party, however, paying in whisky isn’t a fair barter.

Anyway, we have had a very good year, it seems the recession is on the decline, business is good, but WHY do staff have to make life difficult for everyone?

Pfft.

Our holidays have been all over the place this year, due to planning our ‘big holiday’. I came back from a tour of France and an amazing adventure through the Alps last year, and said to Ed that I didn’t want to do 3,500 miles in 2013. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, I was just shattered after it. I wanted a tour that wasn’t quite as intense.

Aye right.

It all took place round our breakfast bar in Fiarach. Andy, Paul and Ed; all planning a ‘boy’s holiday’ to Bosnia and Croatia. I was slightly delighted, as I am sure was the lovely Ellen at the thought of being ‘home alone’ for 2 weeks without the boys. Don’t get me wrong, my hubby is ace, but separate holidays work for us.

Then the boys said, “We want you to come with us!” My comment was, “But, it’s a boys’ holiday!” That didn’t work. It was a biker’s holiday and apparently, I was invited. I wasn’t sure for a nano-second. How could I resist a challenge? So, my ‘not going on a 3,500 mile holiday’ was well and truly punted out the window. I was game. It was probably going to be a ‘one off’.

Paul served in the army during the conflict, and his dream was to go back to see how the county had changed. Ed and Andy were up for it. I suppose not so much on Paul’s interest, but a bloody good reason to go on a long tour. It seemed I signed up. Good god, what have I got myself into?

The one thing that will have given me good preparation, is going to the off-road school at Inverary. I have been practicing, going through the marbles on the car park, up on my pegs and feeling the bike. According to the general ‘rule of thumb’, don’t go for a pee off road, you might explode. I don’t thing that’s referring to a bad meal the night before.

So, it’s 4 days before we head off. We are going by the Chunnel. I gave Andy and Paul a verbal ‘whack’ when they said it was an 8 o’clock train. FFS… We’re on our holidays, guys. Ellen apparently was ROFL… given she KNOWS that there are 2 x 7 o’clocks in one day. We don’t see both of them, but El does! Living the dream, El?

So far I have done a bit of ‘packing’. That involves:

Oatcakes
More oatcakes
Gluten free pasta – for that moment when the lads have a pizza fest and I can’t….
Mango and white chocolate stuff for energy
Passports
Euros

Feck all else.

It’s ok, Ed has a ‘checklist’.

In the meantime, both our bikes are booked into BMW on Wednesday. Ed’s for a service, mine in for head bearings which will be done under warranty. They had been rattling quite beautifully, until last Sunday when I went out on a run with the lads who took me through my Observer training. I was aware that Smoggy went from a ‘gentle rattle’ to the next level; sounding like a skeleton having a wank in a biscuit tin, it’s as close as my Smoggy will be to resembling a Ducati. (On that note, god, I want a Diavel…) Thanks to the Glenshee road. That rattled everything out of my wee bike. Anyone who has ridden into Crieff from the Comrie side will know that the road is slightly uneven. Yep. Clatter… clatter… clatter. We have a problem, Houston!

So, given I am a lazy cow, they will be checking my brakes (important), chain (pretty important), and anything else that they find. Tyres are ok though, that was sorted on Thursday. For everything else, there’s Andy Brown. Need to make sure he has a spanner for my chain…. *check*. OK, so I’m not a lazy cow, I have got used to doing BOTOPS. Aye, thanks guys, you know who you are. Tomorrow I will either 1) put my lovely bike out the back of the house, spray degreaser on him and let nature give him a power wash…. 2) get on my hands and knees and give the wee thing a wash… or… 3) say ‘fuck it’ and do nothing. Smoggy is just manky. Lots of miles of smiles. What option do you think I’ll take?

I can’t go on holiday and not leave with a clean bike, even though I know that Smoggy will be manky by Edinburgh. Given we are being taken out for lunch tomorrow, it might be a wee dicht and a sod it. Or will I????

Today confirmed that I ‘need a holiday’. I was yawning at 4pm and couldn’t stop. It’s been a challenge in the last few weeks, and to be honest, I can’t wait to say, ‘sod it, I’m out of here’. For those of you who know the ‘bits’ that have been going on, you will understand.

I need a holiday and it’s the 4 day countdown.

Did I say it was the 4 day countdown…….