A Mes Souhaits

I don't know what's pollinating at the moment, but whatever it is, I just wish it would get on with it and then stop. My head is all full of allergy woolliness; I'm sneezing, or trying to, and blowing my nose every 23 seconds. The thought of going outside has been banished as a Bad Idea.

Yesterday, happily unaware that WhateverItIs was sending pollen out to wreak its havoc, I took my youngest and his bike to Restinclieres. The park is huge, but he was focusing on a particular earthy mound near the picnic area.

We arrived to find the parking area transformed. No longer the huge open space by the playground. Instead they've created a camouflaged car park amongst the trees. Not only that, but they've made the stony, rocky track to the picnic area pushchair- and OAP-friendly by concreting it over. It looks really good and my youngest was able to cycle down it without risking life and limb and a broken nose.

We got to the mound and found it set in a field of very long grasses. It looked a lot less dramatic since Nature had been at work covering it with encroaching fingers of coarse grass. Off went my son to try and cycle up it, but the vegetation either side of the narrow track was too distracting and he couldn't pick up enough speed to hurtle himself up the last metre or so.

By this time my nose was starting to run. I had followed him onto the mound, but beat a hasty retreat to a picnic table under the trees. My youngest had beckoned me over to show me what looked like a scout project to create a little cabin out of sticks and bits and bobs tied up with string amongst a group of small trees. I remember trying to make little cabins out of straw, bracken etc. in various holiday locations, so I could understand his joy at seeing this. He was keen to improve it so hunted for extra sticks he could add, and reworked a bunch of metal planks to make a super wall.

When the mosquitoes started gathering en masse, I called it a day. He was able cycle back up the path with no problem which made a change from having to push it over the rocks and pebbles previously.

Such exposure to Nature did me no good at all, I'm sure. It ensured I got a good blast of pollen to set off the allergy, making me sensitive today more so than I'm sure I would have been otherwise. I've had to spend to day shut in the house; windows and doors closed.

To compensate, I watched 'Keeping Mum' with Rowan Atkinson and Kristin Scott Thomas. Quite delicious, it was - recommended for some beautifully-written, archetypal British black comedy. Lazy Sundays do have their uses.