HALF-TERM adventures come to an end and children return to school exhausted.

With hindsight this is perhaps not the best preparation for the seven-week summer term ahead but with trips to the cinema, Cadbury's World and visits from cousins it was hard to keep excitement levels down.

I too am feeling sleepy and return to work less ready for action and more ready to catch up on all the chocolate biscuit eating that I have missed over the last week.

Only the death of daughter's goldfish Tiger' punctuated our happy home.

He was buried with full fish honours and much wailing next to her previously deceased fish Sunshine' beneath the bamboo, prompting husband to whisper in Godfather tones "Tiger sleeps with the fishes".

Daughter marked out the spot with a stone on which she had written Tiger Swim in Peace'.

With children back at school I am looking forward to my day off and re-discovering some peace of my own on the allotment.

Husband is thrilled to have had the first taste of his own produce when I use a few of his young beetroot leaves in the salad. The look of pride on his face speaks volumes. "I'm a success," he shouts.

Squashes, sweetcorn, cucumbers and courgettes have left the protective nest of the kitchen and are taking their chances on the plot.

Our allotment lunch club has planned its annual cycle, which involves visiting each plot in turn one evening and ending up in a pub.

Husband believes that he should somehow be involved this year, as he is now in charge of one third of our plot.

I tell him that he has to babysit but promise not to pass off his produce as my own.

Feeling generous I also offer to bring him back a third of a bag of crisps from the pub. What more could a man want?