MORE strawberries Dad????

I admit it, I usually don't plan all that much when it comes to the half term breaks. To be fair, we're usually all off together, as a family of four, so on the rare occasions when it's just three of us, I see it as a chance to let the kids sleep, doss about for a day or two, spend some time getting some of the (mountainous), pile of dirty washing down slightly (not to mention the ironing!!), and try to get in on the "dossing about" act myself as much as possible.

Well, not this half term, no sir-ee Bob, this half term is gonna be different!!

I actually used that most clever of resources, the inter-web thingy-m-jig, to look up stuff to do, although it has to be said, I do take full credit for coming up with the initial idea - I mostly used the 'web to get the postcodes for where I wanted to go!

Honest!!

It was all very carefully planned.

Day 1 was a rest day.

Day 2 was a ... erm ... rest day.

Day 3, ha-haaah, this was the first of our two excursions. First of all, we went to Garson's farm in Esher, Surrey. We've been picking fruit from this farm for the last 5 years and I've been making jam with that fruit for the last 4 years, including this one.

Dammit if strawberries aren't annoyingly tricky to get to 'set' into jam.

I know, I'm sure as a prolific maker of jam, you're sat bristling at your keyboard wondering whether or not to let me know what a half-wit I am, but save your strength, no need to tell me what I already know - it's just that I have trouble with jam.

It's either a bit too runny to be jam - so I've called it coulis (saddo) - or too thick, so I've labelled it "thick set". This was unnecessary though, as everyone I've "gifted" a jar to, informed me they needed a Kango concrete breaker to get into it!!

The sad thing is, if you can get into it, it's bloody tasty, honest guv'nor!!!

Anyway, this year, my son and daughter couldn't have been less interested in picking fruit, so while they held running races along the end of the fruit rows, I laboured away in the scorching sun (it really was damn hot).

2 kilo's of strawb's later and we were on our way out of there. Almost opposite the side turning to the farm, is the National Trust's Claremont Landscape garden.

We've been National Trust members for a while now, and I can only recommend that you too join - a family membership fee will work out cheaper than 3 visits to their numerous properties around our beautiful country, in some cases, only 2 properties.

That aside, the kids found their mojo's, and enjoyed more running around wooded areas, rolling down steep, grassy hills, and eating our picnic at the top of one of these hills, taking in a beautiful, picturesque view.

They were very, very tired at the end of this day out.

As was I.

Day 4 consisted of a trip to Esher again, but this time to their leisure centre swimming pool. I don't take the children swimming as often as I should, but boy-oh-boy, when I do take them , you know they're enjoying themselves!

Needless to say, when they went to bed, they slept ver-r-r-r-ry well.

Sweeeet!!

Oh yeah, and when I figure out how to get the pictures from my 'phone transferred to my PC, I'll show you a lovely picture of our day out.

Until then ....... nothing!!!