To laze in the garden on my afternnon off?

[MrsJBaptiste]

I’ve booked two afternoons off work this week as I need to break up the working from home week and the weather has been lovely!

I’ll finish at 1pm, do some exercise then sit in the garden with my book for a couple of hours before a large G&T in the sun.

For me, this will be a great afternoon but DH can’t comprehend it and thinks it will be a waste of half a days holiday. He never sits still and every day off work is spent going for a run/cycle, building something, tidying the garden and generally doing jobs that I didn’t even realise existed! He will happily leave me be all afternoon but can’t think why I wouldn’t want to be doing something / anything!

I’m more than happy to clean, do the garden, shopping, DIY at the weekends but annual leave is for nice things - not jobs (in my eyes!)

Surely there are plenty of people like me and many less like him?

I’m just like you OP. I’m never going to book time off to do chores! It’s for holidays or relaxing only

And I will add that my DH is the same as yours, a day of relaxation would be his worst nightmare, he’d rather just go to work!

I’m furloughed at the moment and husband is working! He actually took 4 days off there over Easter and we just had a mini relaxing holiday in the flat! We ate out on the balcony, cooked lovely food - played some PlayStation games, watched films - had cocktails every afternoon! Absolute bliss tbh

You are right. We all want different things.
Enjoy your relaxing time in the garden.

YANBU
Take your afternoons off and do what you like with them (within Social Distancing rules obvs).
If your DH wants to be "doing" all the time, that's his lookout, but personally I love a day well wasted.

Sounds like a great plan to me 👍🏻

We spent our afternoon off playing Monopoly in the garden last week. It was bliss!

Sounds amazing I'm so jealous. Wfh, have 3yo ds, a puppy and Im pregnant.
Oh well I can dream!

I think you should be doing whatever you want to, especially at the moment when there's only so many things you can do.

Do what makes you happy.

Exercising and reading is very good use of your time off.

I'm like you OP - and my DH is like your DH. Always needs to be doing something, can't just relax!

I have an alternative suggestion! You take my kids and I'll laze in the garden all afternoon instead. Sounds like bliss!

Just as I thought, it's much better to be lazy and especially when it's sunny! I shall sit around like Lady Muck and read to my heart's content...

Sounds wonderful, especially with a sun lounger or deck chair

I'm with you OP. If I spend my day off doing something productive it isn't a day off. For me it would be a film a cup of tea and some digestive biscuits.

I have a friend who's like your DH. She gets long holidays from her job but doesn't spend a day of them just at home - the second she's off work she's camping or starting a new project. Drives her mad to have unfilled time. I'm the opposite.

I'm having a shit week at work so have booked Friday off and I intend to do exactly what you're doing but for the whole day. Can't think of anything worse to do on a days leave than jobs!

My exh always wanted me to get up and do stuff and not 'waste the day'

So now I sometime spend an entire day in bed eating nice food and watching Netflix, and sometimes I will get up at 6pm, have a bath, put on clean pjs and get back into bed 🤣

YABNU enjoy your day

I could have wrote this OP!

I took yesterday afternoon off, specifically to sit in the garden with my book, in the sun, glass of wine in hand. My DP was upset as he wanted us to go for a walk. Nope!

YADNBU...I took extra days off over Easter and everyone at work thought I was mad! But it was absolute bliss. I didn’t look at my laptop or work phone for 6 whole days. When WFH long term if you’re not used to it, it’s easy for the lines to become blurred, and the routine monotonous. My extra time off did me the world of good 😊

See I think you've got it spot on OP, I have an unhealthy tendency to be like your DH (not in commenting on anyone elses time off) but I often make the mistake of planning loads of house jobs to get done and stuff to do because I feel like I should be making the most of it.

It's not good though , I end up burnt out and stressed. I've been determined not to this time as I've taken a few days off this week. I'm pottering (which is my favourite thing to do ) and putting no pressure on myself at all. I already feel better for it.

If I want to sit in the garden I do , if I happen to want to do something housey then fine but absolutely refuse to stress about it all.

Your time off, spend it how you like. If your DH wants to do stuff, that’s fine..as long as he doesn’t start hassling you for help or a bit of a hand here and there. Get a book and a bottle of wine/beer/vat of coffee and just....chill...

Sounds just great. You enjoy

I hear ya OP! We normally are lucky enough to have city breaks and holidays on our annual leave. By luck we had decided not to holiday this year and do some work on the house. I had my first week off at home on holiday two weeks ago for years and it was bliss! No packing / unpacking, stress of travel, lots of reading, daily exercise walk, films, home cooking long lies and all the things I normally struggle to fit in. Helped that the weather was good.

YANBU, but my DH is like your DH!

My husband is like yours then, hates the thought of ‘nothing to do’.
I, on the other hand, think it’s one of the most perfect sentences ever
Enjoy the sun and gin, cheers!