An air of excitement and anticipation
I'm writing this week's column with an air of excitement and anticipation – Vanessa and I are going away together to London for the weekend.
The trip's her main 18th birthday present and it was a total surprise for her.
She didn't want a party, thank goodness – the thought of all that bad behaviour, horseplay and too much booze was too much for me to contemplate (and that's just my mother).
I hope it still was a surprise, after all the clangers that were dropped by all around.
The worst was by me, when I stupidly said after she got her ears pierced:"Think of all those lovely earring shops in London!"
When my brain caught up, possibly urged on by Vanessa's blank looks, I added: "And any other large shopping centre you may think of."
I asked her to make a list of what she wanted to do during our two-night, three-day stay.
So far, the list includes the London Eye, Covent Garden, Madame Tussauds (please God no, they're just large fancy candles), open-top bus sightseeing tour, Camden Market and Portobello Road Market.
That, of course, would leave me lying exhausted in a gutter ... I feel we may have to tailor the itinerary to my more sedate pace.
Anyhow, fingers crossed for a safe trip…
And another rite of passage this week.
I'm sick and tired of seeing Nick in the same two styles of black and navy tracksuit bottoms when he's not in school uniform (he does have several of each one, just in case anyone thinks I'm saving money on trousers to go to London).
I've tried to persuade him for years to get a pair of jeans, just for a change – and he's always flatly refused.
I suppose I should be grateful he didn't actually tuck the trackie bottoms into his socks.
But, along with the adoption of Nirvana T-shirts, I suppose it was only a matter of time before jeans completed the teenage boy uniform.
There is one thing that Nick and Vanessa have in common this week – she's walking around flashing her earrings like a newly-engaged woman showing off her ring finger – and Nick's adopted an exaggerated swagger to best display his jeans!
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Weather for Sunderland
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -3 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South west
