h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm serving out my notice at home, which is nice and gives me plenty of time to prepare for my new job. But it does feel strange! In total by the time I start I'll have been off for 12 weeks. I'm told that being off doesn't take long to get used to, but that going back to work does. So we'll see what happens in September. At least the garden will look good!

However, it's given Moonlight a bit of a fright. After a nice idle time of it, pretending there were no jobs around for someone on a gap year, thereby forcing her to sleep til noon then stagger to the sofa to watch daytime TV in her pyjamas and text everyone about it, there's a new regime.

She has had some work in the past year of course, but every single thing has been sorted by me. I've found her work as a film extra, she's done the Christmas Post, worked in a fast food place, done some bar work and cleaning, but for at least half the time since last July she's done absolutely nothing at all, happy to watch me take second and third jobs to make ends meet.

Now that I'm off I make her get up in the morning and if she's not actively seeking work she's doing odd jobs for me. So my shed has been painted, the garden furniture has been oiled, bedding plants have been put in and a friend's fence has been repaired and painted too.

There's been no sleeping til noon, pyjamas and daytime TV. Today she applied for a 12 week, full time, job. Found by me.

It is easy to get used to being idle, although it took me longer than 12 weeks to not want to go back out to work - more like 12 months. Now I am used to not being able to buy things.

I hope you enjoy the summer! Will we be seeing you do some summer camp work with the kiddies?

Summer camp? There's a very good reason why I've exclusively taught the over 16s since 1992, and now I'm moving on to the over 21s. I really can't stand a room full of over enthusiastic, squeaking small people asking me if they should underline the title, write the date or turn the page over. Give me a class of grumpy, door slamming older teenagers anytime, mainly because they really aren't like that and are secretly delightful young adults.

Once I've shifted Moonlight off the sofa and into gainful employment I shall of course sit in the garden sipping Pimms with the cat all summer. (Well she won't have Pimms. She prefers .) Then in September Moonlight is off to uni and so am I. It's the right time for me to make the move, now that I finally don't have to pivot my working day around my own children.

I'm well used to having a long summer break of course, so I'm just thinking of this as being a bit longer than usual. That way I don't slip into idle ways. I've always done a lot of planning at home over the summer, term really starts when exam results come in mid August. So I'll get into a routine of making some proper work time. I'm arranging some shadowing visits to the new place over the next few weeks and I've already put myself on a couple of courses to bring my knowledge up to speed.

Doesn't sound like there will be must time for Pimms sipping.