The tickets for REM in Dublin arrived yesterday. I knew I was one of the first to book because I was sitting poised at the keyboard 20 minutes before the official "off". We're on row A - in fact we're slap bang in the centre of row A - so that must just about be the best view in the whole theatre. There was a slight temptation to put them on eBay for £500 but it passed.

We'll be going to Innocent's Fruitstock fair again in August at Regents Park and the artist son and his wife are coming too - so's our daughter so it'll be a real family affair. I decided to see what was on at the theatre for the Sunday night. Managed to get a couple of tickets for Othello at The Globe - much to my husband's disgust. But I reckon if I have to trail around horse racing events with him, the least he can do is sit in the seat next to me at the theatre.

As well as putting hanging basket brackets up, laying turf and moving fences, the artist son has found time to fill numerous magazines with his work.

Computer Arts mag

Wad Mag

I've left the ironing for five minutes to come and sit down. This is the trouble - it takes at least two weeks to get everywhere back to normal after a holiday. And that's just with the two of us - how I ever managed when there were five of us I just don't know.

The cruise on The Arcadia was lovely although I could wring the necks of the loutish cruisers who left towels on their well-positioned sunbeds and then disappeared for hours on end. I haven't dared step on the scales yet

- maybe tomorrow!

Our favourite port of call was Santa Margherita - mainly because it gave access to the beautiful Porto Fino.

We liked Monte Carlo too and visited the casino.....

From the boat we saw lots of dolphins and some amazing sunsets.....

At home we NEVER get dressed up and it felt quite strange doing it on board....

In Florence and Rome we kept seeing those life-like statues, standing absolutely still for hours on end. At the final port there was a proper bronze statue in the shape of a postman with a sack, sitting on a bench. An elderly fellow cruiser turned to her husband and said: "EE, he's really good in't he?"

The younger son decided he'd drive to Southampton to see us off. I kept this a secret from my husband so secretive texts had to be sent to my son along the journey. At 9am he said he was awaiting our arrival in McDonalds car park. His dad wanted to break the journey and have breakfast en-route. He couldn't understand my insistence on a McDonalds breakfast - something I've never requested in our 33 years of married life. It was worth all the subterfuge however - his face was a picture when, as we parked our son knocked on the driver's window.

But after seeing him, I spent the whole cruise worrying. A week earlier he'd gone to Cambridge for a game of football and the boots had taken all the skin off his little toes - made worse by cricket the following day. He'd been wearing flip flops all week (dirt and germs in the wounds) and when we saw him they were still oozing and bleeding and looked horrendous. I emailed and texted him from the boat and he kept reassuring me that they were healing, but I won't be happy until I see for myself when he's home next weekend (especially since he played cricket again on Sunday and opened the wounds up again.)

Just got back from a P&O cruise- so washing, ironing, gardening etc etc. Will tell all v soon.

Featuring in the Innocent newsletter certainly sends my hit counter into overdrive - great stuff! I have now put my world-famous marmalade on ebay and will soon find out just who will pay £3.50 a jar for postage because that's what it'll cost - good old Royal Mail.

Today we went to Bodnant Gardens.

We all had the National winner - thanks to a silver birch being spotted behind the artist son's garage the day before the race!

The London son is home from Dubai and has been telling us about severe turbulance over Romania on the journey home - that would have finished me off. Before he went he'd applied for an Innocent Scholarship - the lovely company he works for gives away money every quarter to someone who wants to enrich their lives by doing something special. He's always loved orang utans and wants to see them in their native habitat. While he was away he heard he'd won the award - so that's his next holiday sorted.

We've just got back from a couple of days in York - I've never seen so many blossom trees.

We visited Fountains Abbey too.

We went to see Brian Ferry on Thursday. Very good if rather depressing - lots of overweight Lancastrian pensioners rocking in the aisles. His voice is as good as ever though - I just wish he'd done Virginia Plain.

Next stop REM in Dublin!

The London son is now in Dubai, in the middle of dust storms if the daily weather forecasts are to be believed. I've found a Dubai live webcam and will endeavour to get him to stand near it while he's there, so that I can make sure he's eating properly.

The artist son's off to London on Monday. He's a finalist in the Mercury Music Art Prize competition and his work is being featured in an exhibition near Covent Garden. He and his wife are now settled into their lovely home and our son has discovered a love of gardening - so much so that he now has a frozen shoulder for his efforts.

Our daughter's booked for New York in September and is hoping that it'll be warmer than when she was there last time. Then she spent the entire week with her hands in her pockets because it was too cold to let the air get at them.