Gardening Skills

We have been spending a lot of time gardening this summer and I've been quite proud of my developing skills, but, like I am no Delia Smith in the kitchen, it appears I am no Alan Titchmarsh in the garden either. On our walk home from Catford library today, Freyja stopped at some dead, shrivelled plants growing in someone's front garden and declared 'Oh Mummy, we have these in our garden'.

She really is quite cruel. In France, one of her favourite past times was to march up to her grandfather and say 'Afi, shall we go and look at your dead plant', forcing him once again to visit the remains of the campsis he had lovingly tried to grow up the side of the garage.

I may just hand over responsibility to her, given that she seems to a budding botanist. She recently asked me to guess what flower she had drawn, at which I reeled off all the flower names I knew that she knew - lavendar, tulip, rose, daffodil. They were all wrong (of course) and when I asked her to tell me what it was she witheringly replied 'it's a geranium'.

Fairy Face

Really beautiful face painting:




The photo doesn't do it justice. It was done by a lady at the Honor Oak pub on the Little Bubbles day they held there the other week. She was painting fairies, butterflies and rainbows in beautiful, intricate detail. It was a shame to wash it off later that day.

How to have a good holiday

1. The day before you leave, ensure your child is just sick enough so that you don't have to go to work, giving you time to pack.

2. Book flight at a decent time (9.30am) so you get almost a full nights sleep.

3. Book parking so you can easily transport yourself and your offspring to the airport

4. Arrive with plenty of time and smile politely when you are told the flight will be one and a half hours late.

5. Have brunch.

6. Ponder why if your flight is leaving at 11am, the information says boarding will be at 11.25am.

7. Send husband to do rounds of the duty-free with over-tired 1 year old.

8. Take 3 year old to try on expensive sunglasses for a laugh. Leave shop.

9. Take turns doing the rounds with over-tired 1 year old.

10. Spend hundreds of pounds in the duty free on unnecessary magazines, hairclips, books and sandwiches.

11. Hurrah! Go to the gate.

12. Practically hyperventilate with the tension of trying to keep bored, tired offspring in order.

13. Get on plane. Negotiate hard with 3 year old to get her out of the window seat so 1 year old can watch the planes, while 3 year old reads her magazine.

14. Note 1pm take off time.

15. Arrive in France. Wrestle for 36minutes with inexplicably complicated hired carseats.

16. Drive to Cahors. Stop in supermarket and spend 95 Euros on some bread, milk and pate to see you through until the next day.

17. Arrive in Lascombe, breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy 10 days of sunshine, fresh air, good food, lovely wine - and don't once hear the words 'can I watch telly'.