This week has felt like rusty gears grinding into action. Screeching alarm clock and only a cursory flick through the papers. Resentful hounds hauled from their post breakfast snooze for their constitutional walk. Switching the work ethic back on again dragging me back to the realities of working routines.

I know I have an easy ride here at Domestic Executive HQ but I empathise with the pains of returning to work.  Of commuting to offices full of people facing the stark reality that issues so artfully kicked into the long grass of the holidays emerge again but twice as aggravating.

The out of office message on my work email tells people go away unless you have a pressing need.  The phone remains  blissfully quiet aside from a few celebratory calls for New Year and clients looking to engage me on new assignments.  A text from someone enjoying school holidays with her kids summed it all up for me – “Am so not in work mode let’s not spoil the dream.”  So we didn’t.

Bee at work in the kitchen garden

Bee at work 128