On the hoof

The weekend flew by in a heady whirlwind of activity, much of it unplanned which made it seem even headier.

The boys announced, on Friday, that they wanted their hair cut, but not by me (sniff sniff) despite the fact that I am an ace cutter of hair even if I do say myself... No, they wanted something more stylish and assumed (probably rightly) that I'd make a botch job of it. They were still enthusiastic even when I told them they'd have to come to Intermarché with me because that's where the non-rdv salon is, and normally I can't drag them out on a Saturday morning for love nor money. Actually I haven't tried money...

So while I trailed up and down the aisles, they sat in comfort and splendour being primped and pampered. Looking at my youngest's gel'd crest and my eldest's spikes I grudgingly admitted that they looked much smarter and snazzier than had I been snipping, but funnily enough I was left to cough up the dosh to pay for their new looks...

After an afternoon of footie in drizzle and supper out with a bottle of chablis and brown Cuban Bacardi (pal B's been having fun in the Duty Free...!), on Sunday we took advantage of the national cinema festival where all tickets were 3.50Eur instead of 8Eur. It's a measure designed to ensure that culture is within the means of all which I think is fab, because our seats cost 10.50Eur instead of 24.

We watched The Water Horse (Ke Dragon des Mers) which everyone enjoyed, including me. The story was enchanting, the scenery stunning and the acting perfectly good. I thought the music was a bit naff in places, especially at the Save Willy moment when 'Nessie' tries to jump an anti-submarine net but apart from that, for a kiddie film, I hadn't minded spending 10Eur to watch it. Needless to say, the place was packed. People are keen to take advantage of every opportunity to get out and about at reduced rates or free entry. Luckily we had got there before lunch, bought the tickets, then eaten at MacDo and then come back in plenty of time to get a good seat. You have to be ruthless at these events, or you arrive too late and everything's sold out.

The weekend finished with another unplanned supper party from which I tottered happily back up the hill, with boys equally delighted at their evening's amusements.

I just about got the housework done, squeezed in between other more exciting activities!