Holiday summary

Went to Cornwall. Holiday cottage just outside Whitstone, on the Launceston-Bude road. Nice accommodation. One of a group of cottages in a rural setting with good facilities, including shared playground, table tennis room, balls, rackets and toys of various descriptions and stuff to borrow for BBQ and beach. Disappointed that outdoor swimming pool - one of the main reasons for booking it - was 'heated' not very much. Rabbits, dogs and chickens all became family freinds. The Booth-Leach family tradition of a Chinese takeaway on the first night of our holiday. Kids made friends with other holidaymakers' kids, and played out for hours each day.

Rained every day, but not all day every day. Day 1, went to Tintagel (but didn't visit castle) and Boscastle (but didn't visit harbour). Did sit on pleasant beach and buy new jacket though. Day 2, went to Trethorne leisure farm. Playground outside, big slides inside, making a fuss of animals, Joe had wobbly over queueing for pony ride. Day 3, only beach day. Widemouth Bay, very nice. Day 4, Bude. Nice place, but bit of a washout, saved by bookshop visit and ten-pin bowling. Day 5, Eden Project. I love it, rest of family OK with it. Day 6, John and Joe went to Launceston steam railway; Alex, Harrison and I stayed at accommodation. All went for evening meal at lovely restaurant in Boscastle, where we sat outside next to the river imagining the size of the wall of water that flooded the village in 2004.

Read two books - Luke Jackson's 'Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome' and Paul Mason's 'Meltdown'. After the first, resolved to try out gluten-/casein-free diet for me and for Joe. Played Scrabble with John and Alex every evening - after twelve years of John refusing my invitations to do so. Joe tried to join in once, but couldn't cope with the idea that he couldn't choose the seven letters he wanted.

Today: long, wet drive home.