WE'RE BACK

16 days is definitely too long to be away from home - especially when you're a control freak. During our cruise our eldest son and his wife discovered that they're having a baby boy (Oscar); our daughter celebrated her birthday and the London son started a new job. Anyway, we're back now - to grass a foot high and mounds and mounds of washing and ironing.

The cruise was good although as we were swaying through grey mist, grey skies and grey sea for two solid days we were not amused by Sky News reports that the UK was basking in the hottest May weather on record. Our fellow cruisers were not in the first flush of youth - or the second or third come to that - in fact I believe there were at least two deaths on board during the 16 days we were away. On our car journey home we stopped at a motorway service station and my husband just kept repeating " doesn't everyone look young". Institutionalised is the word that springs to mind.

We did see some lovely places though

and posed for lots of photos

and ate some lovely meals

and

saw the QE2 so often that I began to get confused about which boat I should be boarding.

The London son seems to have got rid of his rodent lodger and has settled in to life at L'Oreal. No sooner had he walked through the door than he was told that he'd be off to Ibiza in June with his colleagues - returning the day before he goes to Borneo to see the orangutans. He's had his jabs and I've bought him a plentiful supply of 100% Deet (mosquito killer) but I reckon an umbrella might be more use because I'm sure it's the monsoon season there.