Leuven Tuesday, 4th April

Strange time of year April. Yesterday, and most of the week-end we, in the middle, basked in glorious sunshine. Today it is overcast and freezing. Of course, the children and I are inappropriately dressed… – but we don’t care really because tomorrow we are off for a ten day holiday to “old Blighty”, of which one week in Cornwall. I’m drooling to see a National Trust Property. Filled with excitement at the thought of a cream tea. That’s what nearly six years away does to you.

Our holiday apartment is called “The Woodlands”. The on-line snapshots look gorgeous. Almost too nice for our grubby family. Very “Homes and Garden” with white arm chairs and very tasteful bedspreads. Our family has a reputation for being noisy and I wonder what kind of grubby state we will spill out of the car in upon arrival. When I rang the owner and tentatively told her that we would be coming with four children, plus sister and nephew, she responded:

“Oh well then this place is perfect for them. We have a games room downstairs, plenty of buckets and spades, it’s a ten minute walk to the beach and a lovely place for children”.

Although she was £100 more expensive than the other holiday places I had goggled I booked there and then.

The other day under the shower I was imagining who the groups in the ground floor apartment would be. In my fantasy world it would be another family with at least two boys J’s age so that J. would have someone to hang out with. But then again, I decided, it could so easily be one of those people who book a holiday to be away from children and later complain:

“Its not that I don’t like children. We just made a conscious decision NOT to have children. Is it too much to ask for a bit of piece and quiet on our holiday?”