Summer hols and the need for a cheeky glass of wine..or two

Last night I was having a cheeky little glass of white wine whilst snuggled up in an armchair next to a deliciously warm fire. Outside a vicious wind was howling ruthlessly above the loud splatters of a torrential downpour. What a bloody awful summer we’re having, it’s August for heaven’s sake but my lily-white complexion would suggest it’s December!

Poor Kris, it’s his summer holiday and he should be outside everyday soaking up the rays and having the time of his life, but instead the usual playing outdoors with the neighbourhood children has literally been flushed down the drain. The streets are empty, windows are tightly shut and central heatings have been clicked on. Nowhere do you hear the happy sound of children’s laughter screeching with excitement or see teenagers on their bikes with beach towels sticking out of rucksacks.

There is a small ray of, proverbial, sunshine at the end the tunnel though. One more week and school starts again, I will have my life back – ozzie, ozzie ozzie, oi,oi,oi!

It’s not that I don’t love having my son around; it’s having to be his entertainment committee for nearly two months that has me ripping out my hair and wailing in tongues. I blame Mother Nature, she should have been on our side, she’s a mother after all!  But where was she when we needed her? There’s a thing called the Solidarity of the Sisterhood and slap me on my back and spit in my neck, but she has truly let us all down.

This summer I have come to realize how much the success or failure of the summer holidays depends, firstly, on the weather and when that fails, on YOU.

Never before have I played so many card and board games. And then there’s that game that has you twisting into awkward positions with your face dangerously close to little smelly feet and other bodily parts! But desperate times call for desperate measures when each morning starts off with:  ‘What can I do now, mum?’

Because our son loves any game that can be played on a screen, his father and I have strict screen rules that have to be upheld. But….. after three weeks of non-stop rain I threw in the towel and must confess have become a bit of a screen addict myself whilst having a great time with my child. I am also a bit of a tennis pro. Countless hours of practicing smashes and aces with a plastic racket watching my animated self (sometimes) win against my animated son, I’ve got really, really good. I think I could beat those William sisters any day. But my claim to fame is that I now have mastered all the steps to all of the Michael Jackson’s songs thanks to this ingenious Wii game where you hold the remote thingy in one hand and copy the moves of a simulated Michael dancing his heart out on the screen. It’s fab, first thing in the morning in your PJ’s and “it really doesn’t matter if you’re black or white!”