Downhill to Christmas

G is back from the Reading Festival. As soon as she arrived, she jumped into a hot bath and handed over a sackful of washing. She longs to go back, although there will now just be a very smelly field full of smelly mud left. All the bands, people, tents and sounds have upped sticks for another year.

Her favourite was Florence and the Machine, and indeed, we watched her on BBC3 at the same time, on that rain-lashed stage. She was our favourite too.

With Reading out of the way, P's birthday in a few days (shame he won't yet be back for it), and the start of a new term just around the corner, it is at this point each year we realise that it really is downhill all the way to Christmas. The first few weeks of school will disappear with half term arriving and going in a flash, followed by fireworks and Xmas bazaar and Xmas!