Thankful for... public holidays

Once again, I forgot we had a public holiday this week. I'm not one who often remembers them, other than the obvious dates like Christmas, Anzac Day etc. I'm usually alerted when I overhear people discussing long weekend plans, get curious, check the calendar and sing 'woohoo, a public holiday!'  
Apart from the possibility that I have a shocking memory, my inability to remember public holidays stems mainly from the fact that I've rarely actually gotten the day off. Working in firstly the media, and then the mining industry, took care of that. 
And now that I'm at home with a baby, every day is a day 'off'. Or a day 'on', depending on how you look at it. 
The husband too works in the mines, so trotted off to his job early Monday morning. 

But even though public holidays may not mean sleep-ins, back yard barbecues and a shortened working week in our household, they still have advantages:
* Penalty rates. More dough isn't something to sneeze at. 
* Relaxed atmosphere at work. Management (generally) takes the day off. Need I say more?
* Free parking. Totally irrelevant now, but this was a huge bonus when I worked in Cairns. We loved days when the parking inspectors stayed away. 
* Casual clothes in the office. Hello shorts and flip flops! On the mine site, well, it's still boots and hard hats. 
* I got to whine about having to go to work when almost everyone else in the country was still in their pyjamas (conveniently omitting the fact that I got either extra pay or extra annual leave as recompense).

Do you love public holidays? Or are they just another day for you?

Linking up with Kate from Kate Says Stuff for this Thankful Thursday.