Meaning: Taking a break while not actually taking a break.

Taking leaf is the kind of leave you take when you are still working, undercover. Leaf affords a degree of protection from the daily barrage of emails, requests, tasks and meetings one is obliged to accommodate, so that one can do some of the deeper photosynthetic work one’s research requires.

Like this ladybug, I am currently “on leaf”. I am working, on and off, spot by spot, dot by dot, under cover of leave(s). This, plus a little bit of TOIL (time-off-in-lieu) affords a beautiful bubble of headspace that is rare and hard fought and hard won. My heart goes out to people like my long suffering partner (an artist herself), who try to live with HSwriters or HSartists of other persuasions. We are so….find a kind word….quirky in our habits and so singular in our needs.

For myself, as an HSP, I find that I must have a regular bolus of solitude. Unfortunately, this does not mean you can sit in the next room from me. A room of my own does not cut it. I need a house of my own in a suburb of my own. Social distancing takes on a whole new meaning, right? I.5 metres? Don’t make me laugh!

Kilometres, maybe?

And with that, and until Moanday, I shall bid you a bon weekend, and take my leaf.