St Clare's The First Year

When I was a girl, I used to read voraciously. I burned my duvet because I had my light on underneath it. Even now I read every night. I can't go to sleep unless I've relaxed, by reading. If I'm tipsy, I still read; I just have to re-read it the next night.

I love buying books for children as presents. You can have too many toys, but you can never have too many books.

Elf is off to a girl's party tomorrow from his class and as I don't know her very well, I tried to find a book that would suit her. I know she's girly and very good at reading. I found this... St Clare's - The First Year by Enid Blyton. I am unashamed in my love of all books by Enid Blyton. The Famous Five, Five Find Outers, Secret Seven, Adventurous Four, Mr Pink Whistle, Pat and Isabel the twins in St Clares (remember the two Mam'zelles?), Darrell in Malory Towers (with the glint in her eye), The Wishing Chair, The Faraway Tree (Silky and Moonface!), Naughty Amelia Jane ... and not forgetting dear old Noddy.

Yes Enid Blyton might have been out of fashion and banned by the BBC at one point, but she still stands strong. She got me into reading, and then in my teens, I discovered Agatha Christie (and a naughty book, Lace by Shirley Conran).

I can't wait to read some Enid Blyton books to Elf. I hope that the birthday girl tomorrow enjoys reading about the two French teachers, midnight feasts and Carlotta from the circus!

Does anyone else remember Musty, Fusty, Dusty?

What were your favourite books when you were young?

Would I Lie To You board family game review

Would I Lie To You? "The game of believable lies and unbelievable lies ", linked into the TV show of the same name. Purchased: December 2017 in Waterstones, for around £20 In a nutshell: These TV show-affiliated games usually show themselves up (Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Top Gear) but this game is fun and easy to play (if a little modified) as a family. You don't really need specialist knowledge to play, just the ability to lie! Every year for Christmas, I like to buy a board game to play, even though no games better either Ludo (in which my dad is the reigning cheater-champion, and argues to high heaven over the rules about doubling up or how to place your counters in "Home") or Rummikub (which we can now play with two packs of cards lest we forget the game). This year, Would I Lie To You caught my eye in Waterstones (other emporiums - emporia? - for book lovers are [locally] unavailable). It's a game, it says, for 2-8 players; however we dec...

A walk from Portchester Castle to Salt Cafe

Well we just had to choose the worst day of the year to walk. The date had been set weeks before - who knew there would be the worst winds of the decade almost on this very day? But we didn't want to be beaten. We will walk to the cafe. At least it wasn't raining! Parking is free next the castle and obviously, it wasn't busy this day! We set off around the outside of this medieval monument. The sea wall affords views across to Portsmouth and Gosport, and Portsdown Hill if you look behind. You can see the Spinnaker Tower in my photos, but you'd have to zoom in. The sea wall leads to a walk along a path, switching between grass (a much more sheltered area) beside a playpark, and the beach. It is an easy, flat walk, made slightly harder in the wind. After 1.75 miles, you reach the Salt Cafe (@saltcafe66). This took us one hour - that wind did slow us down! I've had a breakfast bap there before and remember it being delicious, but slightly expensive. But today, we...

That's not my Elf, he's too rude and noisy

At nursery drop-off this morning, I was handed part of Elf's transfer to school pack, you know, the bit that the pre-school teacher had completed and also that Elf had drawn in (looking worryingly like a blaze that Fireman Sam ought to be putting out instead of rescuing Norman's head from a saucepan with the "jaws of life"). Reading it, I had a sense of "That's not my child" in the way that the above tractor book is written. Surely, the little angel you've so kindly described here doesn't really exist, and certainly doesn't pretend to be my little Elf? So here is "This is not my child" book, by A Humdrum Mum. That's not my child He's too rude and noisy That's not my child He's uncaring and unkind (to me sometimes) That's not my child He wants to sit in front of the TV not run around in the garden That's not my child He won't help me take in the washing This is my child ...

A Humdrum Mum

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