Does this happen anywhere else in the world? Does any other country grant long service leave to their employees?

In South Africa we had no idea it existed, in Europe we didn’t hear about it but in Australia, the lucky country, there are so many rewards. No wonder we have a boatload of refugees arriving daily on our shores (illegally) from other not so lucky lands.

I have my doubts that Gen Y will ever experience long service in any company. You need to stay with the SAME company for 10 years to become eligible for your reward and Gen Y do a hop skip and jump from job to job every couple of years. But then they tend to earn a whole lot more than our generation too so I doubt it keeps them awake at night feeling they might have missed out on something.  After 15 years you get even more reward days and again after 20 but I haven’t reached that milestone yet.

So I am off to England to visit family using long service days and not precious annual leave time. My new granddaughter is only 5 months old and I can’t wait to meet her! Summer Eden has seen and heard me on skype but has yet to get a big grandmother cuddle. My father who turns 80 this year cannot get his head around these ‘new-fangled’ names as he calls them. He struggles to remember it and recently asked me how ‘Fig Leaf’ was? Fig Leaf? You know, what’s her name…  Eden something or other.  The connection was Eden – Adam and Eve = fig leaf.  Next time he asked me how September was.

Olympics are over so the thought is that Heathrow airport will have returned to sanity by the time I arrive in 24 hours, via Tokyo with 5 hours in transit time. First time in Japan even though it will only be in the airport, the atmosphere will be different and a chance to get out of the plane and stretch my legs.

I feel a bit lost not having Geoff with me for this trip but it’s mainly a family visit so he can save his annual leave days for fishing trips and Christmas in Perth.  Nicole, my daughter will look after me and we have a few ideas for small day trips. Nothing too strenuous as it’s been an ‘annus horribulus’ as the Queen was heard to say one particularly bad year.  My new resolve is to balance my life with enough rest and relaxation and regain my outstanding energy and stamina, one step at a time.  First step right now is to check the suitcase in, get through customs and settle into my aisle seat on the plane for the long trip.