Not a Great Start.

I'm back!

LOADS to say about how wonderful and magical Lapland was but I will return to that later.

As a mother it is my responsibility to ensure my children are appropriately dressed when they leave the house. With regard to our trip to Lapland - that place north of the Arctic Circle where global warming or no global warming it was always likely to be quite cold at New Year - I had been making preparations for at least two weeks. I had plenty of gear as I do a fair bit of hill walking, my daughter was also pretty well equipped, but the boys had outgrown most of their stuff and I didn't want to buy any so I nagged the boys to ensure they borrowed thermals from friends. The thermals were duly obtained, but then I had another restless night before we left as J couldn't find his gloves. Thankfully these turned up before we left. I congratulated myself that my off spring would be properly dressed to deal with sub zero temperatures.

We arrived at the car park at Stansted airport at 6.15 in the morning. My lads had had a lift down to London the night before as I was already there with H. As we got the cases out the boot it suddenly started to rain. (Anyone who reads Reidski will know that the rain on Saturday in England was particularly bad. Ha ha! Unlucky dearest!.) Anyway I can not remember ever getting so wet so fast. We ran across to the bus which had thankfully just arrived and it can't have been more than 50 yards away from my car but we were absolutely drenched. My mascara had run all down my cheeks. My canvas handbag was still wet inside 15 hours later. I am trying to explain just exactly how hard it had rained...hard. I look at my poor soaked children. I look particularly hard at J. "J, where is your coat?" I ask - a reasonable question seeing as how he isn't wearing it. "I forget to get it out of P's car last night."


SO.... I had suffered a sleepless night when I was worried about him going to Lapland without his gloves. I had worried about obtaining thermals for him. The thought that he could travel north of the Arctic Circle without a coat had not even entered my wildest nightmares.



I was so angry I couldn't speak. I didn't trust myself to open my mouth.


It did not help that everyone else was killing themselves laughing.



Things could only improve after that somewhat inauspicious start to the trip.