Kayaking, Nail Varnish and Death by Chocolate: A teenage girl's dream party

I wish I had turned 13 last week and had an amazing party for seven close friends involving kayaking for two hours (falling into the lake and drinking hot chocolate), and then going home to eat cake (lots and lots of fairy cakes) and then putting on nail varnish and make up and costumes to play a three hour murder mystery game whilst being served a three course meal.  And don't forget how wonderful it would be to watch a romcom whilst quaffing chocolate and then talk until 1 am.  Oh the sheer bliss of turning 13.

The chances of that happening to me (aged 45 and a half) are extremely slim.  In fact non existent.  But Only Daughter enjoyed her day.

Help - there are three teenagers in the house now!

Yes.  The day is almost upon us.  From Sunday onwards the house will be inhabited with THREE teenagers.  THREE!!

It's hard to imagine that only a few years ago (well, thirteen actually) a lovely older lady spoke to me in the park in Marlow.  Chloe was newborn in her pram and Harry was a terrible two year old running about with his older 4 and half year old brother chasing after him.  Her words were, and I quote "You've got your hands full there love".  At the time I brushed this aside.  Eldest Son was quiet and well behaved and reasonably civilised.  Younger Son was a bit of handful then, but he was only two and his position as the youngest child had been usurped by a creature in a pram.  I thought I was invincible. 

In a way, those were the easy years.  Teenagers with all their demands are far more needy and tiring and annoying. 

And as for Not So Absent Husband.  Well, having him at home is like having a fourth teenager.

Need I say more?

I love them really....

Vanessa x

Always Take the Weather with You

There's something completely predictable about a British summer.  It rains.  It's as simple as that.  This year it is even more ironic than ever.  A hosepipe ban is imposed.  It rains a few days later.  The first test match of the season starts.  It rains. A long bank holiday weekend arrives with long planned Jubilee events.  It rains.  Half term arrives.  It rains.  I sometimes wonder if it might be best NOT to plan any of these calendar events.  Well, at least don't tell the Weather about it and then just sneak an event in when the sun is out.  Anything planned in ink, written down or talked about for months before is bound to be hit by the Weather.

My May was spent dodging showers and digging out jumpers and coats again as the mercury fell in the middle of the month.  The test match at Lords was the coldest I have ever been watching cricket.  Watching the boys in white whilst wearing a scarf and gloves was not quite what I expected for my first time at Lords, still the following week things did pick up for Chelsea flower show and then had to dig out the suncream and floppy hat.  Honestly it drives me nuts and what's worse is having Only Daughter constantly asking me what she should wear - is it cold outside?  It is going to rain today?  Is it going to be hot?

On the writing front - well, the summer house is there ready now for me to find my way down there which I did a couple of weeks ago only to be found by Eldest Son who was at home on study leave.  First of all he was wondering what was for lunch, and then he began to kick the football up against the wall near the summer house.  The constant kick, kick, kick drove me nuts and so I retreated back to the house only to find Not So Absent Husband watching cricket on Sky on the TV.

These pictures prove that the sun did indeed shine at some point in May.  Lovely Chelsea blooms.

So here I sit in a coffee shop - it's raining outside and the windows are steaming up.  I am wondering if all those cricket games scheduled for this week will go ahead.  Anyway, it's back to writing.  Let's hope it stops raining soon or we will all have to grow webbed feet and begin to splash around in the puddles.  Might be more fun than getting annoyed. xx