Holiday time

On Wednesday my sanity will pack its bags and leave for 5 weeks as the summer holiday arrives. Daisy will be a rare sight as she is now an independent Londoner out and about most days or curled up with a book. Leyla is just her usual low level irritant self, addicted to the television and me in equal quantities. But Kitty is a child just a rizler width away from being completely autistic, she will limp from one self induced miserable day to the next.

Today's one hour hysterical outburst was about socks a) wrong size b) wrong colour c) wrong length Nothing fits kitty, nothing matches, nothing looks right, no one likes her, its no fun being 12 but kitty will take down all within her wake.

I have just found out that Shirley Hughes has an exhibition at www.illustrationcupboard.com which finishes on 26th July. This woman saved my sanity when as a young mother I was hooked on lifestyle magazines and failed to cope with the chaos that arrived with 2 small children. My Country Living lifestyle was shattered and I felt inadequate that my home was not photo shoot friendly 24/7 Then I read books by Shirley Hughes to the children and I had an epiphany. Her illustrations portrayed homes that were untidy, children shared a room, washing up sat on tables, washing hung on lines, adults spent too long searching for lost toys and getting locked out. I owe this woman my sanity. With the Au Pair back in Turkey the house has slipped even beyond one of her illustrations so my first week at home will be spent moving piles of paper, washing and electronic crap from house to shed..The garden is so verdant I will need a scythe to trim it back and just as order will be restored the builders will arrive....