Tarte au Citron or Mille Feuille?: Who Said Anything About a Rest!

Normally, France for us means endless days of warm sunshine, leisurely breakfasts comprising freshly baked baguettes and home made preserves and longer lunches where an odd beer or glass of something red or white might be involved. Well that's the general idea but then the grandkids arrived!

Actually, more than Annabel and Sam arrived at Camping les Ramieres this weekend. Fortunately, along with them came mum and dad but a bonus as well in the form of Rick and Jill, Charlotte's mum and dad. On the Coy side of the family, we are only missing Sarah to complete a full hand but having just had a new conservatory installed, her priorities were in getting the new lighting functioning and the decorating completed. She is here in spirit however.

Family is the most important thing in the world to Linda and me. It always has been and always will be. The joy of being with your kids and for us now, our grandkids, is unrivalled. Mind you, it does come at something of a cost as you realise just how much time and attention they demand - I say that against a backdrop of Annabel being just two and Sam, only 9 months, having just started to crawl. At those ages, it should be a doddle for us but where does Annabel generate so much energy?

Typical was this morning where she had woken her Grandma and her brother shortly after 6am, much to the distress of mum and dad. To give Charlotte the opportunity to get Sam back to sleep, Richard drifted with the offending child, down to our caravan, seeking solace, comfort and a cup of tea. Oh and an extra couple of pairs of hands to spread the load. It's a heck of a nice way to start the day when you see this beautiful, smiling two year old come through the door (oh and Richard as well) but after the cuddles the pressure starts to build! "Please can I have some cornflakes Grandad?". "Please can I have an orange Nana?". Then the Coup de Grâce! "Please can we go to the park Nana?". It's only 7am but how can you possibly resist?? There is a great play area for the kids here. Bouncy castle, trampoline, swings and slide and two large swimming pools. It's a kid's paradise but not necessarily for a grandparent at that early hour.

It's strange, but having brought up two children of your own, you look back through truly rose tinted spectacles and think it was a breeze. It's hard to contrast your own parental experiences against those now being experienced by Richard and Charlotte because for me, it looks quite tough and above all else, bloody tiring!

Yet for us, the joy and the pleasure is unbounded and as Grandparents, you get away with things that if the parents did it, you would tut, tut, shake your head and wear a great disapproving frown! It's so funny.

We had heard it said on many occasions that the love you have for your own children is very different from the love you have for your grandchildren. I can't quantify that. I can't explain it but whoever said it in the first place was pretty much on the mark.

I hope I haven't been too schmaltzy in this dispatch? Normal service to be resumed in the next update when I aim to give a balanced view on the French!!