It seems strange, after such a long summer break, to be revisiting old routes. Full of traffic, 'danger red' mini buses, and the aged question of 'what is the quickest way?' TheO has started back at school and it won't be longer before his younger sibling joins him. Now with two children at private school, I am left to wonder how many kidneys I can sell on Ebay. Now in Grade two, the oldest young man is happy to be back with his friends and looks forward to his brother attending pre-nursery. A duo to be reckoned with! I await the reports of racketeering, extortion and demanding sandwiches with menace.

The last few weeks of the summer were rounded off with a short break in the South of France., staying in a chalet just outside of Frejus., the camp site boasted several swimming pools, water flumes and daily children's animation. Perhaps I could revisit Melville's classic and make some headway. Sadly, the only animation was 'daddy' following orders and tracking Louyn round the deep end. The organised fun and games had finished the week before. The family also managed a visit to Monte Carlo to see how the affluent live and a visit to the Aquarium, as well as a trip to Nimes!

TheO just emerging from the Spiderman infatuation. I remain nervous as I await the next big thing. As DNA modification by Spider was not possible, much to the little lads disappointment, downloading Super Hero Squad seemed the only way to break the lull. Job done! The 5.5 'age' has brought with it the confusion of emotions, an evolving minefield of 'feelings' and 'thoughts' that need to be dealt with in all their complexity. It has been suggested that I play more roughly with my first born, dressing as Dr Octopus might be a good start. This I dismiss totally, preferring Electro as an arch villain!

Louyn continues to grow but refuses to talk about it. Infact he doesn't really talk, it's just garbling. The lights are most certainly on, but he seems to be using some kind of scrambling device to communicate. Perhaps I expect too much for a 2 year old. Sure that he is getting there, I await the moment he instructs me to stop feeding him Baileys



Sugar time...