Happy holidays? Not in 2020...

THE week after next will be my last day of the school year.

At last, school will be out for the summer.

Now usually, that brings with it an annual feeling of excitement and relief; eight long weeks of meeting up with friends, going out on day trips and maybe even hopping on plane to somewhere hot.

School will finally be over but like many things, this year it’s different.

Is it just me or is that same sense of excitement just not there this summer?

Perhaps my sense of ‘sameness’ it’s because it feels like school has been over for a while now

Working virtually from home has been tough, it’s been tiring but it’s not really felt like school.

It might be almost the end of term but I’m chomping at the bit to go back and see everyone already. Now that’s something that never happens at this time of year.

So, with the long summer ahead it begs the question – what now? What am I actually going to do for the next fewmonths?

Normally, I’d be getting packed up for a week or two in the sun in France, Spain or some other European country aftermy end of year exams.

Looking forward to DofE expeditions and going to Reading Festival.

Of course, none of this is happening now. My summerwill be verymuch like the last few months. Home. Garden. Staying local. Repeat.

Perhaps having this enforced break isn’t such a bad thing as I’ve actually got loads to do. In the past I’ve been guilty of trying to pack too much into my life.

The summer races by and I’m running to catch up. So now I’ve really got no excuse.

The summer before Year 13 gives way to a lot of school work – writing my personal statement, researching and writing my EPQ and going to visit some of the universities that I’ll apply to in just a few months time.

Holidays are being replaced by trips to university towns.

Yes the campuses are closed off but it’ll be good to get the feel of each place and as a familywe’ll get to visit some new places. First stop Durham.

But I don’t want it to be a summer of just work and no play, because let’s face it, 2020 has been hard enough.

This year, my real summer escape will be planning my next one.

Because 2021 is The Big One.

The summer after A-Levels, it’s the summer of my life. Apparently.

I’m planning an month-long Interrailing trip with friends.

With so any opinions and so much choice, it looks like it’ll take us the whole of this summer to work it all out.

Let’s hope we all get to escape a little bit, to have the freedom to drive to new places and have some ‘socially distanced’ adventures.

I just need the Driving Test Centre to reopen and then I’m off.