I decided that it was best to head swiftly for the car

My best friend Denise asked me to have her daughter Alissia again so she could work last Saturday.

Although I don’t particularly like getting up at the ungodly hour of 8am on a Saturday (yes, I know I have one heck of a shock coming if I have children), I do try to help. So I volunteered.

This made me think that I should also have my sister’s two children. So by 9.30am I had all three and was heading off to Petersfield pond.

What I hadn’t bargained for was the blistering heat, which made getting said baby in and out of the car seat all the harder.

Meanwhile Hollie and Lewie were in a constant tug of war about who Alissia liked the most and who was going to push the pram around the pond.

Needless to say, my composed ‘I’ve got this’ look didn’t quite last as long as I had hoped.

But the sight of the pond’s revamped café, with its promise of ice creams and cold drinks, was my saviour.

You’ve never seen someone with three children in tow move so fast.

Occupying the two older ones with ice creams and Alissia with a Mini Milk was the aim.

But then I had what can only be described as a hellish experience of trying to sit three children down in the outside seating area, which was absolutely jam-packed with other families who clearly had the same idea.

I tried to ensure that a) We were sat in the shade (Lewie was hot), b) I was holding the Mini Milk for Alissia whilst trying to keep my eye on the other two and c) I stayed calm.

A dad who looked at me with sympathetic eyes started questioning me (like parents do, I’ve now found out) about the ages of my brood.

I replied, with beads of sweat running down my forehead: ‘They’re not mine, I’m just borrowing them for the day.’

When I realised how this sounded, I decided it would be best to head swiftly for the car.

I’VE NOW LEARNED THAT TRENDS ARE TRENDS FOR A REASON

A while ago I wrote an article about how I do everything so much later than everyone else.

I rarely follow trends and very rarely follow hyped movies or TV programmes that everyone else is watching.

Take Game of Thrones for example.

Years after it first aired and everyone was raving about it, Matt and I have just decided to give it a go.

It’s absolutely amazing! We are so hooked and I look forward to the evening so we can settle down and watch as many episodes as possible back to back (a little sad to admit, I know).

Perhaps there is a lesson here.

Trends are trends for a reason and I need to start getting with the programme a little bit more!

THE SCALES DON’T LIE, SO IT’S BACK TO EATING LETTUCE LEAVES

I had quite a shock on Monday when I stepped on the scales for the first time since our first wedding anniversary in May.

I discovered that I’d put on nine pounds. What the heck?

I was so shocked I was absolutely convinced that they were broken and decided to try them out in all different rooms of the house on different surfaces.

But nine pounds it is. I blame Matt for not telling me that I might want to pass on the extra halloumi.

Obviously I can’t blame myself, so he’s the person in the firing line.

I have spent an absolute fortune on trying to buy healthy food so I can lose said pounds as soon as possible.

Why wasn’t I blessed with a super-fast metabolism? It’s back to eating lettuce leaves for me.