Weekend working?

The rules for weekend work for a domestic executive are very unclear. Obviously it makes sense for the working partner not to be exposed to domestic work normally done Monday to Friday, but when does the domestic executive get a day off?

So far, this has not been a hotly debated topic in the Treanor household but the lack of policy did require momentary discussion yesterday. Should MT get his own specialist food shopping if he is cooking dinner, or should JT go armed with his wish list since there was a clear failure to provide the necessary goods for smooth running of the kitchen at the weekend? In typical partnership style, because I’d actually bought some of what he needed, MT set off with his own shopping list to experience local retailing. But, it’s clear that this morning I am responsible for the washing up debris left after a wonderful dinner shared with our good friend Naomi.

I’m all for flexible working. I have come to terms with the split shift arrangements to accommodate breakfast (the early shift) and dinner (the late shift) but I’m less comfortable with the concept of full time weekend shifts too. Perhaps weekend domestics need to be reframed as a joint enterprise, otherwise, when does a girl get a break? After all, it worked for years when we were both fully employed in the UK.

Our house in Khandallah overlooks the village centre. This means I can see the comings and goings amongst the shops and there is a wonderful pattern to life on a weekend. The rush hour is 9-10am Saturday morning with cars jammed nose to tail and a fair amount of parking rage. All people want is to nip in and get their bit of shopping, normally before ferrying their offspring to some sporting endeavour. Between 10-11.30am there is a statelier pace of traffic of people with more time on their hands to enjoy a wander and perhaps partake of a coffee at one of two coffee bars. It’s also the arrival time of the brunch bunch that slope off to Taste our suburban dining room. By around noon things slow and by 1pm it almost looks like a ghost town. Some of the shops shut up in the afternoon although others are diligent in their community service serving the steady stream of customers throughout the day. On Sunday’s the brunch bunch are the main arrivals in the village second only to people dashing in to buy the papers and those forgotten items. It’s a fascinating insight into how people spend their weekends and I can easily spy on people through the slats in our Venetian blinds!

Ah, the joys of weekends – a great invention, although never quite long enough. I see weekends split into two distinct types. Those designed for leisure and pleasure and those that offer pure rest and recuperation. The best weekends are a mix of the two. Coming to New Zealand has required some adjustment to the normal weekend routine.

Firstly, the weekend papers take about an hour to read in total and shorter if you miss the property and job supplements but do read the classified advertising. That leaves about another three hours of time to fill compared to reading UK weekend papers. Not a problem if you partake of the coffee or brunch culture which means a long leisurely meet over wonderful breakfast menus with friends. Also, the wonders of the internet and digital publishing do mean we can enjoy both NZ in print and the UK papers on-line. Secondly, weekends are the only time that we can juggle the time difference and manage to ring friends and family at home. Thirdly, and I guess most importantly, a much reduced requirement to do those annoying chores that can now be done in the week.

We probably need to work harder at making the most of weekends but the last three have been dampened by illness and weather although we’ve had some interesting outings since we arrived – the NZ Food Show, the NZ Home Show, cinema, Wellington Maritime Museum, Te Papa Museum, walks (usually uphill), exploring places (Petone – foodie capital of Wellington, Eastbourne – antique capital of Wellington, Porirua – retail capital of Wellington) and for the first time in a long time yesterday, a retail outing to Wellington. There’s also a good dollop of sport – normally Rugby (keen supporters of the Wellington based Hurricanes and the mighty All Blacks), sometimes Netball (yes, prime time viewing), and more often than not football (especially now we’re in the festival of football – the FIFA [nice branding] World Cup) or Cricket from UK.

So, despite the uncertainties of the role of a domestic executive on weekends, we’re settling into an adjusted pattern of weekend living. I guess the biggest difference is that we’re both not so exhausted that we can actually enjoy whatever it is that we decide to do. A key objective of moving to NZ was to get a slower pace of life so I think it’s fair to say we can put a tick in the box for good progress on that so far.