"Look sweetheart.""What Mummy?""A blue orange. How weird is that?"I pick it up from amongst all the normal oranges on display. I'm sure it's an orange. It's the usual shape and size of an orange. It feels and smells like an orange, only it's scent is a lot, lot sweeter. I think it must be the most delicious orange in the world. But it's blue."Wow. A blue orange," I keep repeating, holding it up high."Sssh Mummy, people ar...

"Deux saucisse maison, avec frites et choucroute, s'il vous plaît."Wow! How suave and sophisticated does my big sister sound speaking French? She's already ordered two white wines to go with our meal, and this second little speech only confirms her linguistic excellence. The old waiter didn't bat an eyelid when she spoke, she's in her element and so am I, all thanks to her education."It's only sausages and chips," she tel...

I've met someone famous today, I'm sure you will have heard of her. She's the first lady of France, Carla Bruni no less, the glamorous wife of the vertically challenged French President. Carla, as she insists on me calling her, is guest of honor at the engineering company my husband works for. She's been invited to cut the ribbon and reveal their latest creation, one half of a machine developed in harmony by Britain and F...

If I do fail my exams I could get a job in a nursery looking after little kids, I'd like that and it's one of the few things I'm good at. My neighborhood child minding services are in demand, and now I'm receiving requests from mothers I haven't even met. You can't beat word of mouth as a recommendation and it's by far the best form of advertising.Mind you, it's definitely toddlers I prefer to care for, the nine year olds...

Oh bless her, my dear Hazel has nodded off with her head resting on my shoulder. I don't want to disturb her, so I'll stay where I am on the sofa and chat for a while with my Gran.It's been a hard day, and it's nice to relax at Gran's little bungalow and enjoy a long and lazy afternoon with her. It's so cosy here and she makes anyone feel at home with her warm and welcoming nature. This place is a sanctuary, not just for...

This special day is the closest I will ever get to meeting my grandpa, it's my chance to say hello and goodbye all at once. Mum is holding my hand and I hold my sister's, and the three of us stand back to let Gran whisper a few quiet and private words of remembrance. Those words are all she has to make up for a whole lifetime, a lifetime cut short on this desolate field in France.This isn't the France I remember from holi...