Disclaimer:

This blog entry contains references to NHS work, family life, and my inability to speak Romanian beyond “mulțumesc” and “ciorbă de burtă.” Any resemblance to peace and quiet during the holiday is purely aspirational.

It’s official – the blog is going dark for the next 16 days. From Saturday morning onwards, the Pseudocyst household will be airborne, heading to Romania for a much-needed summer break.

First stop: the seaside town of Constanza for some beach time, seafood, and – hopefully – no more sports-related injuries. Then, a change of scenery (and altitude) with a trip to the Romanian mountains.

It’s been… let’s say eventful lately. In the last few weeks alone, we’ve had junior tennis tournaments that felt like Wimbledon in miniature, a near-miss with an orbital fracture (just the kind of thing that makes parenting feel like an extreme sport), martial arts competitions, and junior parkruns that somehow always seem to happen on Sunday mornings when I’ve barely finished my first coffee. And that’s just our son. I think I’ve aged about three years since July.

My wife is looking forward to seeing her family again – although perhaps less thrilled at the prospect of translating my every word.

But fear not: I come armed with Google Translate on my phone. If it fails, I’ll just smile and point at things, like a particularly polite tourist.

Personally, I’m hoping for some peace and quiet after the last few weeks at work – navigating the post-grad doctors’ strike, welcoming a new rotation of doctors, running pancreatic cyst and ambulatory pancreatitis clinics, and keeping a subtle eye on my colleague, who occasionally still throws the odd curveball my way.

When we’re back at the beginning of September, the blog will return – and I’ll also be talking about something I haven’t done in ages: entering a chess tournament.

Yes, it’s been a while since I last sat at the board in proper competitive conditions, and I suspect my opening repertoire might be a little dusty. But that’s for future me to worry about – for now, it’s all about Romania, family, and not accidentally ordering a wheelbarrow instead of a coffee.

Until then – enjoy the sunshine, stay injury-free, and wish me luck in my quest for both rest and caffeine.