The second episode of the second season of Black Books sees anti-social, hate-everything book owner Bernard change his ways and go about his days feeling happy and trying to impress a girl, a summer girl. It's a great episode.

I've got to get a girlfriend, just for the summer, until this wears off. She'll be a summery girl. She'll have hair. She'll have summery friends who know how to be outside. She'll play tennis and wear dresses and have bare feet, and in the autumn, I'll ditch her, because she's my summer girl!

I don't own a bookshop and there's certainly no girl (you're kidding right- me & other people?), on second thoughts, it's maybe even a bad reference, but despite what I said earlier, I am thoroughly enjoying summer. Can't this season -and happiness?- last just a little longer before leaving entirely? Either that or I want another two weeks of work holiday...

The last day in July is special. Okay, in the grand scheme of things it's maybe not that special a day after all, but for me, it marks the beginning of my two week holiday from work. Fourteen days off, and finally a chance to get some of those things done that i've been meaning to for a while.

Here's some of the things i'm hoping to get done:

• I'm currently playing through the Metal Gear Solid trilogy, ahead of hopefully getting myself a Playstation 3 and the fourth game in the series. Completion of these three will be grand.
• I'm hoping for good weather, presumably like everyone else who's on their work holidays. If it's hot i'll be off on my bike with the camera bag and i'll have pages of new content to add here. As well as that, i'm hoping to get some new posts up too.
• I started a new Lego project this past weekend, and while i'm not expecting to finish it for a few weeks yet, I am wanting to make substansial work to it, and perhaps get some early photos of it.
• I want... a suntan. Yes, it's incredibly shallow, but what little skin I show off is whiter than snow, and compared to past years, it looks live i've been living in a dark cave.
• I'd like to start my new course. Granted, the forms aren't even off yet, but i'm hoping that as soon as I get my new books I can get cracking so I don't run the risk of falling behind.
• I'd really like being able to finally write something. I've always got ideas for prose and short pieces of fiction, so having all this time off might finally be a good chance to get started on something. I might flesh this out further, if not, there's another hundred ideas I can attempt.
• I just want to relax, have a good time, and not have to worry about anything, while still feel as if i've accomplished something.
  

Here's some of the things that I know will get done:

• Sleep.

Summer.

The weather-too hot or too wet, but never a nice in-between compromise. Endless attacks by beasties. Sleepless nights, and going to bed when it's still daylight. Shit TV, and the horrible stench of barbecues. Glares on screens, and the forever pouring sweat. Hayfever, that time when all the annoying little school kids are on holiday, holidays in general, and people either wearing too much clothes or not enough. Shorts, hairy legs, topless male bellies. Altogether, a culmination of awful.