Killing time

I guess most people would be thrilled to be told they have a fortnight free before they have to start a new job. Not when you've had the last 2 months free. The thought of lounging around the house watching 'Loose Women' in my pyjamas was too much to bear and as it had been a while since my last holiday, I thought that I deserved a mini break. The targets of my last minute decision (I gave them a day's notice) were my cousin Nick and his wife Kirsty in their spacious house on the edge of a loch in the sleepy Scottish village of Portincaple. Bliss.







Oh, and one other thing; they also happen to have four children under the age of 6?!

From the very first moment at the airport when we nearly lost Anastacia onto the luggage conveyor belt, I knew it was going to be a fun week. By the end of my stay, I had become an expert at making jigsaws, emptying potties, brushing the hair of moving targets, reading Goldilocks umpteen times without sounding bored, working out the complex mechanisms of a seatbelt and remembering exactly which bowl, bib, spoon, fork and glass each child preferred at mealtimes.

Does this sound like hell to you? Not to me it wasn't. I had a great time! Any parents that can get four children out of bed, breakfasted, dressed, teeth brushed, hair detangled and sitting in the car with freshly-made packed lunches in less than an hour (all without a tantrum) deserve a medal in my opinion. It was like a parenting master class - Nick and Kirsty, I don't know how you do it!

Despite the effort involved in raising four happy children, they still managed to show me around, take me to a shopping centre, wine and dine me at a posh restaurant, force countless glasses of Chablis upon me and cook some exquisite food. I even got to spot a submarine on its way back to the naval base.

So Nick, Kirsty, Seb, Anastacia, Felix and Sofia, thank you for entertaining me last week and I reckon I'll be back soon though next time, I'll try to give you more than a day's notice!