IT’S been a little bit like the Marie Celeste in here this week. In the sense that office feels a bit empty, not that we’re drifting aimlessly in the Atlantic without a captain and food left out. No, it’s that pre-school-summer-holiday fortnight when everyone with children at school goes on holiday, presumably avoid the school kids.
Or more likely to avoid the exorbitant cost premium that is added on to a holiday by booking for a fortnight later. Imagine if other industries operated the same way, a Big Mac Meal £3.59 except between 5pm and 6.3pm when the same meal will cost you £7.99, as it’s ‘tea time’. No-one would pay it, but the holiday companies have you over a barrel.
I’ve never really understood that phrase. Why is being over a barrel negative? Depends what’s in the barrel and why you’re over it I guess? Anyway, we’re over this barrel. And school’s won’t stagger holidays as that would cause chaos (I get annoyed enough at the fact that my children attend school in Wales and my wife works in neighbouring Shropshire and their school holidays aren’t the same – despite being just a few miles apart from each other, so I can understand why holidays aren’t staggered hugely).
Anyway, in other news, I was woken up yesterday by a small child re-enacting the Good Morning song and dance routine from Singing In The Rain. Tonight she’s an elephant in the school summer play. Oh to be seven years old again. Her older sister’s a Brazilian Samba dancer, try fitting that together into one production…
I feel like I should now make a stab at writing something at least vaguely work orientated. Err, I was given a Russian doll today. True story, you couldn’t make this up!
MARK LINGARD, MARKETING
