I’m writing this from a hotel In Cologne – nothing to get excited about, I’m here to visit the biggest baby goods trade show in Europe, Kind & Jugend.  I’m on my own and not really looking forward to it at all, but I’m trying to view it as an opportunity to network that I don’t really get it I exhibit at these shows myself as I’m always too busy working my stand.

Of course, you could look at it as 2 1/2 days away from the pressures of being a Mum – time to enjoy a lie in, to have a coffee without being crawled on.  To eat a meal without being asked for a drink, or ‘more, Mummy!’, or to share my food is a pleasant change. To sit down for 15 minutes in the middle of the day and have some quiet time to myself to flick through a magazine, or even finish a grown up conversation.

But actually, I’m awake at ridiculous o’clock anyway, having been conditioned by my early waking son.  It took me a day full of planning to arrange everything necessary to hand the kids over to the various people who are helping look after them while I’m away.  I KNOW I’m going to go home to an overflowing wash basket (D can’t combine looking after the kids with any form of housework).  I miss my snuggles with no2 & no3 children (no1 son is a big boy in year 1 and doesn’t do snuggling like he used to).

I’m hoping that I’ll make some decent contacts today and tomorrow, but sometimes i do wonder if it’s all worth it…