Don't worry, it will still be released next week when you return
Ahh, I see that my credibility is currently below historical minimums
I don't blame you, given my latest relativistic redefinitions of "days", "weeks", etc.
Seriously, this new version has been really difficult, much more than anticipated. The worst part is that one of the most important features that I wanted to release with this version, the automatic updates system, will have to wait until 1.6.2. I've implemented it, but it isn't production stable, and 1.6.1 is too urgent.
So 1.6.1 will be a transitional version. It will come with a 64-bit OSX version, a new PCL with ensured backward compatibility and a completely rewritten module installation system, a new color management system based on LCMS 2.0, important improvements in ImageIntegration and StarAlignment, new modules, new PJSR objects, hundreds of bug fixes, ...
Maybe Georg is correct, so enjoy your holidays, and come back strong to play with the new version!