A weekend in the life of.....part one

Saturday and I can't believe this unseasonable weather, it's February and I walked round Lewisham in just jeans and a T-shirt yesterday. A woman in Marks said that if this was global warming, she's more than happy. Of course, this upset the woman with the hessian bag and straggly hair but I'm rushing ahead of myself as per usual.

Out early with the dogs who took advantage of the fact that Peckham Rye Common is devoid of other humans and canines and went absolutely barmy. Junior Dog is now bigger than both Middle and Senior but this doesn't prevent Senior Dog from telling him what to do. Half an hour later they all returned to my side in various stages of exhaustion. Home for breakfast and Mac telling me that "I will come shopping with you mummy" - David had suggested that I have a couple of hours to myself so he tried to convince Mac to stay at home. My wilful boy isn't having any of it - he's got the scent of shopping in his nostrils and also the aroma of one of these. David plans to read the paper and "channel hop" while we're gone.

So there we are, me and my boy, which is nice really. Conversations in the car ranged from "how do planes stay in the sky" to lengthy promises that if mummy is trying anything on in any of the shops, he will stay inside the changing room and not whip open the curtain at the crucial moment.

BhS first, nothing took my fancy but I only really like BhS at Christmas when it's full of things that you don't need but really, really want. Like those twee baskets of jam and conserves and a Beers of the World gift pack. Out into the sunshine and into Peacocks where Mac takes an unhealthy interest in the lingerie. "It's all pretty mummy" he says as I whisk him into the slipper section.

Back into the centre via Marks and Spencer where I buy three T-shirts, some socks for Mac and gave into pressure to buy him a pair of Thomas the Tank Engine slippers. I also had a mini panic about what to buy David for Valentines Day and spent an inordinate amount of time in Clinton's Cards trying to decide what mood to go with this year: flirty, serious, arty, romantic, jokey or downright filthy. In the end I get a card with a cat on the front and blank inside for my own message so I can create a mixture of all six. The present was harder and not helped by Mac informing me that he has "helped Daddy" with my present. Is trying to bribe your child into giving you a clue wrong? Yes, I thought it might be.

In the end I went for a Boots/Body Shop combo - aftershave from one and "sensuous"massage oil from the other. Back outside to buy armfuls of flowers - freesias and daffodils - before returning to the juice bar via WH Smiths where I bought this, this and this.

Conversations in the car on the way home included why flowers smell so nice and why shouting "get out of the way you stupid w****r" to a lingering jaywalker is not something that I should a) be proud of and b) tell daddy about.

Lunchtime and then a mooch around with the duster, Flash liquid and hoover and I'm suddenly gripped with the need to open every single window in the house. To air it, naturally. All three dogs huddle in their beds. Mac announces, at ten to three, that he wants to "do something mummy". It takes us until quarter to four to work out that what he wants to do is make something and by five past four we deduce that he would like to make some biscuits. Fortunately, thanks to the fact that I regularly read and generally devour blogs from Kelly and Silvana in the hope that they'll give me inspiration (they do), I have a well stocked "food making cupboard". Thus, at half past I'm putting a clingfilm wrapped ball of biscuit dough into the fridge and Mac has decided that he no longer wants to make biscuits but would far prefer emptying his toy box onto the upstairs landing. He soon put in an appearance when the biscuits were being taken out of the oven, all crumbly and cinnamonny. Yum.

Steak and jacket tatties for dinner, with salad AND croutons. A peaceful bathtime (as opposed to Friday night when Mac wanted to play "boats" just as the last of the water headed down the plughole and whined when I refused to refill the bath), a quick read of his new book and my son and heir was asleep faster than I could say "penguins". No win on the Lottery, not even one number. David announced that, as Mac has had quite a "girly" day today - he's not a chauvinist but worries slightly when Mac takes interest in "shopping, baking and polishing", they are having a "manly" day tomorrow. He's not quite sure yet what that will entail but watching football features quite heavily. Now, there's a surprise!