ow bloody good is a three day weekend? You reach Sunday night and wait for that impending work dread to kick in and then you remember it’s Anzac Day and you only have to go to work for one day before you get another day off. How sweet is that? I love public holidays. Although I work for myself which means that I don’t get paid to have them off like everyone else, I love them because no one else is working. This means there are no emails from clients or editors and no one requesting meetings. I can work on the things I really want to work on and maybe clock off a few hours early and do something very lovely. For those of you that struggle to think of awesome thing to do on a public holiday, this one is for you.
1. Read a book outside
Winter hasn’t quite kicked in yet in Australia so grab a picnic blanket, a book and a thermos of tea and find a sunny spot to spend the afternoon. It’s just about the most wholesome thing you can do on a public holiday afternoon. You could even have a biscuit with your tea. It’s not a crime.
2. Go to the zoo
Most zoos are open on public holidays and they’re usually quite because most people assume they’ll be really busy. Pack a picnic and go for a lovely walk and visit all the animals, especially the monkeys. You can’t be anything but totally delighted when you’re looking at monkeys.
3. Host a tea party
Give your favourite few friends a call, get them to come over with something they baked and host a lovely tea party in the afternoon. This is perfect for people with kids who need to keep them occupied for an extra day this week. Get the kids the help you prepare – bake something yummy, set the table – it will keep them occupied for hours.
4. Dress up in cute work gear and tidy your house
Sometimes when I really have to give my house a good clean and I’m struggling to get my motivation up, I’ll ‘dress up’ to make it more fun. I have a pair of old overalls I wear with a little scarf that I tie around my head and I’ll pop on some lipstick too. It seems silly but it makes cleaning up so much more fun when you look like you’re from a movie montage in 1952.
5. Eat a cuisine you’ve never tried before
Ethiopian, Armenian, Turkish, Japanese. If you constantly find yourself going to the same Thai place every week, pick something new. Don’t overthink it – just Google restaurants near you and give it a go. I can highly recommend Ethiopian food if you never tried it – it’s amazing.
6. E-learn something
If you’ve been wanting to learn French, coding, knitting or singing why not start right now? Jump on Envato, Khan Academy or Coursera to get an online course in almost anything. Time spent learning is never time wasted so put aside a few hours to do something you’ve always wanted to do. Might suggest crocheting?
7. See two movies back to back
How often do you get the chance to do that? Lots of movie theatres do cheap tickets on Mondays and that’s usually when public holidays fall. Take advantage and spend a few hours escaping at the movies. You can even get popcorn. I totally won’t tell anyone.
8. Do a hike in your nearest national park
Every time I visit another state in Australia, I always go to their national parks and go for hikes but I rarely take the time to do it in my own state. If you live near a national park, go for a drive there and do one of the walks. Australian national parks are incredible and we’re so lucky that they’re mostly well maintained and looked after. You won’t regret it. All that oxygen will set you up for a brilliant week, I promise.
9. Put on your favourite Netflix show and get your mending done
If you’ve got a few shirts to iron, a hemline to re-stitch and a few buttons to sew on, do it today. Set yourself up on the couch and slowly work your way through your mending mile. You’ll get to watch your favourite show (guilt-free) and you’ll get a marvellous sense of satisfaction when you’re done.
I will be spending my Anzac Day working on some crochet projects and packing for my trip to Indonesia next week.
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What are are your favourite things to get up to on a public holiday? Is it a holiday for you today? What are you doing?
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4 Comments
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You inspired me to get out and enjoy the fresh air in my local park. I packed my book and my coffee from home and enjoyed it so much. The simple things are often the best (and the most easily forgotten). x
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Author
Oh that’s so lovely! So many people tend to spend public holidays just hanging out at home not doing much but I think something special should be on public holidays!
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I like to check out a part of town or surrounding area that I’ve never been to before, walk around, take photos.
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I like that too… I actually quite like wandering around while all the shops are shut!
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