News agency ANP gaily informs us this morning that over one million people will be heading off on holiday over the Ascension Day weekend. No, in fact they won’t all be going at the weekend.

About a third of them, says ANP, will actually go away on Wednesday and take Friday off as well giving them a nice five-day break. Lucky them.
This is on top of the million or so people who went away over Easter, and then again during the May half term holiday – for a bit of early summer sun. Queen’s Day falling on a Monday and May 1 on a Tuesday even made it a nice long weekend for those without offspring and the school holidays to consider.
Then there are the million or so who went skiing during the Crocus Holiday in February and the million plus who went away for a few days rest during the Christmas break as well. And of course, about a million people will be going away again later this month over the Whitsun weekend.
May is a parent’s nightmare. The children seem to have about three days school and then it’s June, with the summer holidays just around the corner.
But it is not just the never-ending list of holidays that puzzles Sidelines. Where does everyone get the money to pay for all these weekend breaks and little jaunts off to the sun?