Hard night’s drinking? Feeling a bit rough in the morning? Might be worth giving Fraser’s Pepto-Bismol Ice Cream a try.

(Although, just to be sure, I should at this point repeat his small print: “As a controlled medicine, Pepto-Bismol should only be used as directed on the bottle. If in doubt, consult your pharmacist”.)

Strangely, I have this weird pull towards purchasing an icecream maker right now…

It’s arrived!

Well, more accurately, Akra went to collect our new-to-us folding camper this morning and we’re officially Very Pleased Indeed.

The Conway Cruiser we chose may be 16 years old, but it’s in excellent condition for its age, and far more luxurious than getting a tent. There’s even rumours that the garage may be empty enough in the next week or so to get the trailer under complete cover.

Akra managed to put it up single handedly, despite the lack of instructions and only seen the process once before. We had a good look inside to work out what we need to buy, then packed the camper back up.

Entire process was around three quarters of an hour – and I imagine it’ll only get much quicker once we’re practised and know what we’re doing.

Next stop was a camping superstore, to pick up all those “essentials” for our first exciting outing (planned for next weekend, weather permitting). For the uninitiated, camping shops are dangerous places – much on a par with walking around Mothercare when newly pregnant for the first time – you just have no concept what is necessary and what is a complete waste of money. Unfortunately, the place was packed and the boys were less than co-operative, so we came out with hardly anything on our list.

Despite that, we’ve somehow ended up with two collapsible child-sized chairs in the shape of a cat and an elephant. Still, Akra Jr and Li’l Bhaji have been dragged through so many camping and folding camper shops that they probably deserve them.

With the remaining urgent camping supplies ordered online (thank goodness for the internet – I just hope they arrive in time), all we need to do now is to decide where to go for our maiden voyage. We’re currently oscillating between going to a campsite in the Forest of Dean which is recommended for beginner campers as the facilities are so nice and well run, or one near a beach somewhere.

Either way, I suspect it’ll probably need to be near a large retail park so we can top up on all the rest of the things we didn’t realise we needed…

No, I’m not advocating sending 5 year olds up chimneys to earn a decent wage (yet … give me another 5 weeks of the summer holidays or so), but wanted to share this very funny Guardian article today, where 17 children came into work with their parents – ages ranging from two to fifteen years old.

I can’t say it’s an experiment I’d have contemplated, even back in my office days, but either way it’s an entertaining read if in a slightly “rubber neck car crash” type way. My favourite paragraph has to be this one:

For the first half hour after lunch, things settle into a kind of equilibrium. The children are chatting, drawing, playing boards games, watching DVDs and sending emails. Parents and nonparents are getting on with work in a perfectly unharried fashion. A stranger who walked into the office during this brief lull could be forgiven for imagining that it was like this all the time at G2, that our work-life balance was not a matter of competing priorities, but a perfect, seamless weave of parenting, productivity and glitter.

This is before they start racing office chairs down an inclined corridor.

Hmm, wonder whether I can persuade Akra to take the boys into his office on Monday?

Ten years have never flown by so quickly. For those who don’t like schmaltz, look away for a second:

Akra, I love you so much, and marrying you was the best thing I ever did. Here’s to at least another five decades together.

Okay, you can look back now.

And what did we get ourselves for our ten year anniversary? We got ourselves a 1991 Conway Cruiser of course! Lots of romantic weekends away in the future… camping… with the kids. Oh well, can’t have everything!

We did find the travel scrabble while tidying up the garage ready for it though, so that’s all right then.

It always amazes me how, even when things haven’t been planned properly, holidays get immensely packed and busy without really trying. I always make lists of things we could do, and then other stuff crops up and they fall gently by the wayside.

Over the weekend, we had a long discussion about our impending week’s holiday and decided we wanted to go camping. Akra informs me that, to camp comfortably, you end up with so much paraphernalia you need a trailer to tow it, so why not investigate a second-hand trailer tent from the word go and enjoy the benefits of sleeping off ground. THEN we discover for our money we could either afford a 6-year-old trailer tent OR a 15-year-old folding camper. The difference is that a folding camper has the little kitchenette thing all set in to the trailer, so you don’t need to lift the heavy unit out into the awning, and set up is much much quicker. Not only that, but if we actually got organised and cleared out the junk we store in our garage, a folding camper could still be squeezed in there out of the way (although I’ll believe that when I see it!)

So yesterday we went haring off around camp shops and chasing second hand adverts, boring the children to tears in the process (well, it’s working up their appetite for a holiday, isn’t it – boredom is good for the soul or something). Saw a lovely Pennine Pullman locally via Ebay, went to see it, loved it, got back later and they’d obviously sold it to the next couple viewing there and then as the auction was completed on our return. Quite gutted about losing that one, to be honest. Akra is currently looking at a very cheap Conway Cruiser the other side of Cardiff, but it’s looking like it needs some work doing to it so may be a no go. Dread to think of the petrol costs we’ve run up the last few days.

In other news, today has been jam packed solid with visitors which has been lovely. A friend visited with her 2 year old and her 6 week old (I managed to get a quick cuddle with the baby too, always good – then gave him back, even better) and then just after she left, my uncle and cousin arrived. Akra Jr and Li’l Bhaji hero-worship my cousin, so had a lovely time running around and playing lots of very noisy games. My mum and boyfriend are due down tomorrow, so no activities needed to plan for then either.

It’s easy this holiday lark, isn’t it?

And here endeth the first year of Akra Jr’s school life. Yes, they broke up yesterday – the end of Reception class and I am stunned in how much he has grown up in the last year.

It took him a while to settle into school life – in fact, if I’m honest, we all had to make adjustments to the new routines. We’ve made new friends and grown in confidence and maturity. Isn’t it strange how, when you’re child finally gets to school age, you discover that both of you have a fair amount of growing-up to do.

He had a glowing report at the end of the year, of course. I’m not totally convinced that many children come out with anything negative in their first school report. Reception teachers are just too nice to wilt any fragile egos at the start of their school careers.

Next year, they’re all going into a mixed Year 1/Reception class – a new thing for the school, but I’m quietly pleased about it. They will be learning their Year 1 goals and have time for activities away from the younger ones, but the atmosphere will still be one of learning through play. Time enough to have to do the bums on seats behind a desk thing when they’re a bit older.

Now we have six weeks holidays stretching before us. I’m surprising myself somewhat as I’m actually looking forward to it – far more than I did when the boys were younger and needed more one-on-one entertainment.

I reserve the right to retract that enthusiasm by the end of the first week, though.

It’s. Too. Hot.

I know you know that already, and I know that there are plenty of countries in the world that are far hotter, and I know that I really shouldn’t moan as I spent most of May complaining about the rain.

But I don’t care.

I’m grumpy. All my clothes are sticking to me. The boys are being whiny. I’ve eaten my way through three Fab lollies and I probably shouldn’t have. One of our neighbours have had their burglar alarm going off periodically throughout the day and IT’S REALLY LOUD (we did check that there was no obvious signs of a break in the first time it sounded, promise). This afternoon was spent with the curtains drawn, the fan on and wall-to-wall CBeebies to aid zombification in an attempt to reduce movement and perspiration.

Tomorrow, I’m caving in and going to buy a paddling pool and a gazebo for the summer.

Oh look, they’re forecasting rain…

I received an email from Friends Reunited today. Nothing of earth-shattering importance, just one of their monthly semi-personalised circulars used to remind you to check up on the site.

The first sentence is: “How do you compare?” and goes on to ask “Have you ever wondered how your life compares to your old friends? What type of jobs did everyone end up doing? Is everyone married? How happy are they?” and it’s made me think – how on earth do you compare lives?

Does that mean that someone is automatically more worthy than another because they ended up being a top barrister rather than a stand-up comic? Does your past acquaintances’ achievements really reflect on your life choices in any meaningful way other than to give you a short-lived ego boost (or a blow to confidence depending on perceived status)?

Of course, I do it too. I wouldn’t be subscribed to Friends Reunited otherwise now, would I? I imagine most people that visit the site have a usage ratio of around 20% catching up with old friends, 80% fulfilling their desire to be nosy (or maybe that’s just me) – but just because the kid who I always beat at science is now a top veterinary surgeon with her own practice, it doesn’t mean I’ve failed in any way. After all, is she happy? (probably, damnit).

But why do I care? I have no desire to be a veterinary surgeon, I’m allergic to fur and feathers for a start, yet I end up not filling in the little update slip for the Old Pupils’ Association each year just because my paper achievements look so drab next to all the high-flying go-getters from my school. Yet, I’m happy with my life, it’s going places at its own little pace, my two sons are amazing (in my eyes at least) and I get a lot of enjoyment day-to-day.

Of course, it’s in sites like Friends Reunited’s interest to deliberately stir up the green-eyed monster to gain more site traffic, where previously most people would have carried on quite merrily in complete blissful ignorance.

Right, must go. Want to see what my old work mates are now up to…

You need Eclectech’s Tin Foil Hat Song.

(Well made me laugh, and it’s toooo hot to write a proper entry).

In the local paper today, there was the following advert:

Looking for a Trainee Journalist. Full NCTJ training to NCE level will be given to the right candidate, who needs to show aptitude, commitment and enthusiasm. Applicants should have excellent writing skills and relevant further education or training and/or work experience.

Some random thoughts.

• the advert stopped me in my tracks – spider sense tingling, the full works. I’d love this job.
• working at a local paper would probably be a fairly broad experience too – you’d have to be able to do a bit of everything.
• I’m not even remotely qualified for it. I don’t have any relevant further education, training or work experience. I just love writing.
• The only way I could demonstrate my aptitude, commitment and enthusiasm would be to show them this site. Then my online identity would be blown out of the water and blogging when your employer knows where you are has never really appealed.
• It would likely be minimum wage while training, full time, odd hours and completely impossible to organise (affordable) childcare around.

Damnit.

Six years ago or in three years time, it would have been perfect.