Family time

I've just been in the UK again, having left Tim and the kids enjoying Nairobi life after the rains. I spent last Sunday mucking around in the garden with the kids - is it wrong to relish the moment where your nerf gun bullet hits your 9 year old firmly on the bum and you finally win the war? Tim went for a gentle 15km run and I took the kids for a swim - well I swam, Jamie read his book which had been in his hand since he woke up and Katie and Matthew made a camp from the sun loungers and dive bombed me from it. A gentle family day, rounded off with Sunday roast, hair washing, premiership footie and bed time stories. Some things aren't altered much by geography. And It's great to be able to do all that, tuck the kids into bed and then head out to the airport to arrive in central London by 8am on a Monday for a full week of work.

This trip was for a residential course so I didn't get to catch up with friends as much as I would have liked but I squeezed in some lovely time with mum, a dose of theatre, some shopping (including for a new raincoat - the lightweight one I brought from kenya just wasn't up to the job) and my usual supermarket sweep. And much as I like London (even this week when its been wet and cold and the scene of a terrible murder) it was even better to be able to leave at 5pm and be home in time for Saturday breakfast, change from jeans and fleece into shorts and t-shirt and repeat last weekend.

The kids were really excited to see me - it's not entirely clear if that is about me or the shopping I've returned with or the fact they prefer my packed lunches to their dad's but I'm not going to ask. Katie had made me a special welcome home cupcake (rapidly eaten).

And she spent the day in her ballet dress as part of testing the new ballet shoes I'd bought her - she insisted it was the perfect outfit for picking more guava.

Meanwhile Matthew put the tent up (with a little help) as the only way to test the new sleeping bag and Jamie took his new books off to his bedroom to continue with his mammoth read.

And I relaxed in the garden feeling very good to be home.

Anne