Day 142: Tuesday 30th July

Warning: when making plans for a relaxing, peaceful and tranquil short break with a pal, in a place with no children's playground or other entertainment, make sure that your children have other things to do, other places to be, so that the above can take place.

 
Otherwise, the full amount of stress, tears, frustration and inability to even walk across a field without a hanger-on attached to your t-shirt takes its toll of friendships, family harmony, and the bank balance.

What should have been a weekend of bike riding, a pub meal, quiet contemplation of beautiful views, and basic field accommodation for a fiver a night, watching red kites from the back of the trailer tent, is now, thankfully, over.

C1 and C2 are happily installed on the sofa with the telly, the washing machine is on overdrive, I am here, being ignored (why couldn't they ignore me while we were away?), Mr 1957 is back at his, and the situation is never, I repeat, never, going to happen again.

There were some lovely times, 

but these were over-shadowed by 'I'm bored', 'I'm hungry', 'she did this', 'he did that', 'can I have' and 'how much longer are we here for', in close competition with the weekend winner - 'do we have to do more walking?'. It started 10 minutes into the journey, as C2 proceeded to throw up spectacularly all over himself and the rear passenger seat.

Ah well, in the words of Mr 1957, 'stupid is as stupid does'.