Half Term: A Week of Rest, Relaxation and Structured Exhaustion

Disclaimer

This blog reflects personal experiences and opinions only. It does not represent the views of my employer, the NHS, Somerset LTA, Ninja Warrior Bristol, or the British weather (which clearly represents nobody). All clinical references are generic, all patient information is anonymised, and the concept of a “quiet week off” should be interpreted as aspirational rather than factual. Written in line with NMC social media guidance and the lived experience of parents everywhere.

It is half term next week.

Which, for most parents, means one thing: annual leave.

Not a holiday. Not rest. Annual leave.

As my wife is working for the majority of the week, it is therefore my turn to take time off and provide full-time childcare services. Fortunately, we are what you might call prepared parents. By which I mean my wife organised everything several weeks ago and I agreed enthusiastically at the appropriate moments.

In a rare moment of forward planning, we purchased a Half Term pass for Ninja Warrior Bristol. This will allow our son to climb, swing and launch himself energetically around an indoor obstacle course while I sit nearby, reflecting quietly on my life choices and the increasing number of hobbies now listed under his name.

Naturally, you might assume this means a welcome break from tennis.

You would be wrong.

Because There Is Always Tennis

At present, the week includes a U9 tournament in Bridgwater on Wednesday, where his Somerset teammates Henry and Charlie have also entered. The following day he is scheduled to play in a U9 Dragon Tour event in Burnham. Earlier in the week the organisers were still looking for players and, in a moment of parental helpfulness (or optimism), we entered him.

If I am being honest, it may be slightly unnecessary in terms of match exposure, as he is hardly short of competitive opportunities.

That said, more match practice rarely does any harm, and the Dragon Tour remains part of the development pathway.

Both events, however, share a significant weakness: they are played outdoors.

The British weather, meanwhile, has adopted a long-term strategy involving uninterrupted rain since the start of the year.

Conditions have ranged from damp to persistently damp with occasional heavy confirmation. There is therefore a very real possibility that both tournaments may be cancelled, leaving us with an unusually energetic child and unexpectedly free time — a combination that historically requires careful management.

And Even More Tennis

To ensure that no athletic momentum is lost, Somerset LTA has organised an additional indoor training session for County Cup players on the Friday, ahead of the competition in Taunton on 1st March. Being indoors, this one will definitely go ahead.

It will be interesting to see how the session unfolds, who has been selected, and what direction the coaches intend to take – especially as parents have recently being asked to give feedback.

Parents, as always, will observe quietly from the sidelines while pretending not to analyse anything at all.

Annual Leave, NHS Edition

If the Bridgwater tournament does go ahead, my wife will be taking our son. On Wednesday morning I am committed to delivering the weekly surgical teaching session between 8.00 and 8.30am.

This teaching is usually delivered by consultants, registrars or CTs. Very occasionally, a Specialist Nurse is given the honour. My registrar, James, is currently keen to expand the teaching rota and I was therefore encouraged — persistently but politely — to contribute.

Having recently written an article on cholecystostomy drains, the topic seemed an obvious choice. Nothing quite captures the spirit of half term like discussing gallbladder sepsis at eight o’clock in the morning.

In addition, my pancreatitis and pancreatic cyst clinic could not be moved, so that will run as planned. The remainder of the day should be relatively non-clinical, which may finally allow me to catch up on long-awaited administrative tasks and reduce the email backlog to something approaching manageable.

A Quiet Week (In Theory)

So, the current plan for my “week off” includes Ninja Warrior sessions, potentially two tennis tournaments, an indoor county training session, surgical teaching, a specialist clinic, and a long-overdue admin catch-up.

Based on past experience, I am confident this will be a calm and restorative period.

Updates on the blog may therefore be somewhat infrequent next week, depending largely on weather conditions, tournament cancellations, and the general exhaustion level of the parent responsible for transport, supervision and snack logistics.

There is also a strong possibility that Ninja Warrior will soon become an additional regular activity. Our son has developed a consistent ability to convert any one-off experience into a structured weekly commitment.

We will, of course, support him fully.

Mostly by reviewing the family calendar and quietly panicking.

Half term. Restful. Apparently.