Autumn Awaits

So we're halfway through September already, and the autumn term has commenced once more. Incredibly, I realise that I am now the Mother of a College student - of course I had him very young and am really not old enough to have a College-aged child (for the uninitiated, I was in my mid-20s when Mr Seanie Ninjpants came along, but yet I remain youthful and childlike. Hhhmmm). Ethan has now gone into Year 4, and I find it incredible to think that he's only got another couple of years before he'll be moving up to secondary school - amazing really, considering that he was about 3 when I finally got my head round the reality that I actually have two children now!

As is now somewhat of a Martin-Kent-Alder family custom, we tootled off to Germany again for a nice relaxing break during the summer holidays - but with the added addition of my honorary daughter, Heather. As is to be expected, we had a fabulous time, punctuated by plenty of wine, cake and fabulous German food - in fact this time was even better with the addition of Heather (Heather is Sean's best friend - they have been inseparable since the first day at nursery school aged 3), who is the most fabulously funny and entertaining young lady.


The four of us at the lighthouse in Lindau. Good job Heather was with us and could do her turn of camera duty!



I was lucky enough to be presented with my very own spatzle press and a packet of spatzlemehl, and made to prove my cooking skills by making kasespatzle for everyone.

As you can see, my efforts are being very closely monitored by Chef Julian (also known as 'he who must be obeyed'), who cracked the whip and made me cook it properly. Thankfully he approved of the final offering (it was rather yummy, though given the amount of cheese he made me put in, not the healthiest of dinners), and it got the thumbs-up at the dinner table by everyone else too. We shipped ourselves back a few packs of spatzlemehl for German dinners in this most Germanic of cities ... erm, Birmingham.

But now the holidays are over, the kids are back being educated (Sean got a place at Sandwell College to do his mechanics apprenticeship), and we are settling back into our term-time routine. Which reminds me, I need to go and make Ethan's packed lunch before I go to bed because I very much doubt I will get up early enough in the morning to do it ...