In the spirit of 'The Good Life' I have been improving our garden. Yesterday I had a great time getting compost out of the bottom of the compost bin and spreading it around the place. Today was the fun planting seeds bit. H did some sweet peas, A did some tomatoes, but the idyllic family afternoon gardening quickly degenerated into me digging and raking and the girls indoors doing much more sensible things, like dancing and colouring.

I had a romantic dream of family life that involved gardening. That dream is gone forever, like the threat of frost in Hampshire. What is it about gardening that makes it more attractive as I get older? Is it getting cooler to garden, or am I getting older and so more likely to be in on a Friday night watching gardening programmes? Either way (and I fear it is the latter) I am pleased to say that global warming is helping me personally as I am confident that there will be no more frost in our garden. With the prospect of early potatoes, a forever supply of lettuce and tomatoes, I am wondering if we should give up the ridiculous public transport dependent car share option and do more to contribute to global warming. The idea of growing figs, peaches and oranges sounds great, doesn't it? Till I remember, with a crashing tumble back to reality, that today is the only day I will be enthusing about gardening and from now until September I will be chasing slugs with a humane trap and getting impatient. Last year I dug up some radishes because I got fed up waiting for them. So peach, figs and oranges are clearly not on the menu in our house this millenium.

Some neighbours of ours (across the road, don't know them, but have reliable facts from Lorna, their next door neighbour), are having a new fence, extension and outdoor heated swimming pool installed in the back garden of their 3 bed semi. Now that's a positive attitude towards global warming which should be encouraged. Might have to get to know them better, so I could have an even more convenient leisure centre than Bitterne. Will ask them to install a gym and sprung floor aerobics studio too.

The Queen eats Carrs Water Biscuits, by the way. Stuffs her face with them.

We are attempting to simplify our lives and reduce our dependence on a car, as regular readers will already be chuckling about. Tonight, we have attempted to find a way to travel by public transport from Hedge End to Thames Ditton. Not the most frequently used route in the solar system, but we have worked out that we can bike it at both ends. So desperate has become our quest, we have looked at getting a coach to Heathrow (one journey is over 5 hours long, and involves a 2 hour stop in BOURNEMOUTH); a bus from Winchester to London (can be done, but only at 6am and still costs over £60; train travel via Reading (4 changes - imagine that with 2 kids and 3 bikes, even the Bowens can't do that kinda travel!). Our best bet seems to be to spend most of a day on a train, with 3 changes, and the whole thing comes in at £65, or £40 if we buy a family railcard. Which would, I assume be an incentive to further travel (we have bought the damn thing so we had better make the most of it!). Still, once we get there (and we did even think about cycling the whole 70 miles - poor H, she only just made it back from Haskins this afternoon) we are doing some travel into London, to inspect the Olympic sites, see the Queen to catch up on her brand preferences etc, and travel with children is free on the underground. Phew. Does the District line come as far south as Hedge End?

R is keen to get back on the computer to check out flight options, and hiring a helicopter might be worth looking into. We are 'saving' £100 a month from our car share, so can splash out from time to time. Andrea's husband has a microlight plane glider or whatever, and he might be convinced to take us - but not sure about the bikes. Anyone have a motorbike, roller skates, horse and cart - hey, we might even have to break our rules in the first week and nick the car from our own drive when H is not looking.

Haskins was good fun, they had a hunt the easter bunny competition on, and as Easter is all about bunnies, gardening and DIY we took part with gusto. As an ENFJ person I get gripped with the emotional fervour of competitions and it makes life tiring for everyone else in my family. I made H wander round the slug killer section twice looking for a bunny. The girls both got some free chocolate out of it, and Haskins was the destination of our 'Family Bike Ride'. This is a big deal for the girls, who think it sounds fun. R has bought a new death wish seat for A that goes on the front of his bike, which she loves. We cycled along the pavement on the A27, and I found the journey there one of the worst journeys ever, as I kept barking orders at H to stop, move away from the kerb, cross now, now NOW, while she sped along downhill at her top speed.

R bought road tyres for my bike as well, which makes me go faster. That's a significant chunk of our '£100 we have for public transport and cycling' gone already, for this month, so it is looking like cycling up to Surrey is going to be the only option open to us. I am sure that local buses would be a good option, but R is not keen. His best plan is for him to road bike the whole journey, while us 3 girls fend for ourselves with a go cart and 2 scooters.

Gruffalo day today. We went to Eastleigh (always a treat), with 2 kindred spirits, Andrea and Gillian, with assorted family members, to The Point for 'The Gruffalo Child' play. It was impressive. The actors were very talented and there were only 3 of them.

I cycled to Eastleigh. And home. Our serious car share trial began yesterday, so car use at weekends only, and I am starting as I mean to go on, even though Hat still has her car for 2 weeks, she is insured and the car is for her use Mon to Fri. It means we are doing a few creative journeys this holiday, and it is good that we are both 'j' people which means we plan ahead. Have to, to work out how to get everyone and stuff to right place at right time. Might need to get some panniers, and really need some cycle clips as have ripped another pair of trousers. I have started folding them up to the knee to avoid more mishaps, so if you spot a crazy cyclist with one trouser leg up and one down you can keep safely assume it is me.

Yesterday was a Hannah day. We spent the whole day together, got loads of activities packed in including pottery painting, hair cuts, swimming and a pub tea, and did it all on the buses ( 4 different trips.) Did Harefield to Bitterne, Bitterne to Woolston, Woolston to St Marys and then home on a number 7 to the top end of Thornhill. Woolston has a poundland shop which had modelling balloons, which H has desired for ages, so we bought some. H made her money back on them, as in the pub at tea time a gang of old guys on the next table were so impressed one of them gave her a pound coin. She made them benches and dogs, she actually is not bad at all at them, a skill worth nuturing for a lucrative career if the job at BLC doesn't come off.

My hair cut was a highlight of yesterday for me. I was there for ages, and H had hers done and made many balloon animals while she waited for me. I had it dried straight, which takes forever, and was well chuffed with my 'stepped out of the salon look'. However, swimming a couple of hours later does not do much for straight hair, and I was back to curly as ever within seconds of entering the water. By the time we reached the pub, I was feeling a bit despondent because I LIKE having my hair straight and it was curly again by then. We sat down in the pub, and one of the balloon model fan club walked in and looked at me and said: 'That hair style... amazing, looks incredible...' to me! To my normal curls!!!! I wonder if he was an angel sent by God to encourage me, which seems crazy, why would God be interested in my hair being curly or straight? But then the bible says that he notices each hair on our heads, and it is very hard for me to imagine a God who would be that involved with me. So, have taken it as an affirmation of my being made in God's image. Which is curly as well as straight.

Watched 2 Audrey Tatou films this week, courtesy of LOVEFILM, with whom we are enjoying a 3 month trial, thanks to EH for the voucher..

First we watched Amelie, which went straight in as one of my top ten, although even I got a bit fed up with the ending. So fun and full of life and I love her wanting to touch things, loving smells and touches and I identified with that. It was also very funny, which is not a word which would come into any review of the other film we watched, A Very Long Film. Engagement. It was beautiful, sad and I cried, and am only sorry that I am about 5 years behind everyone else in seeing these films. It was a good thing it was on DVD so we could pause while I tried to get my head around who was who, and who was pretending to be who. It was worse than a James Bond film for that. At least in JB they put an arrow on the screen with a 'baddie' label, for the US of A market, but helpful to us slower Brits too. The French have none of that pandering to us slowcoaches and it was kind of them to do subtitles, I would have really struggled without them.

Beloved Bitterne today, for yoga in my toga (see entry 27 Feb ha ha ha!) while Rob at gym. We then had a jaunt to Sainsbury's for some supplies, before cycling home together. That hill is no problem now, and I remember having to walk up it so am pleased with my upward progress. All well in the precinct. Also went to Woolston today, for A to have a haircut, and bumped into Lorna, neighbour from across the road, so we had chips for lunch together. The last time I ate lunch with her was in a chip shop in London in the rain, so maybe we should write a book called 'Great Wet Fish and Chip Lunches'. Cycled to and from Woolston with A on the back, only took 20 mins to get home, in the rain. Am thinking of entering a triathlon. But I never like to do things by half, so maybe a hexathlon would be better for me? Or a decathlon, if I could work on my Daley Thompson persona... where is he now? Does he still have a moustache?

With mixed feelings I completed the term's contract I had teaching 2 days a week in year 3. The children are wonderful, the school is great, the team is one of the best I have been in, they were lovely to me and gave me flowers and then a present and I felt very appreciated by them all. But, all things considered, my time with A at home will never come back, and there are always Year 3 children in this world, so now to turn my hand back to a bit more 'Amy days', before those days are gone. We had a lovely day on Thursday, which involved cycling to Hedge End twice. I should enter the Tour de France, 'avec une enfant', a special class for me and other crazy mothers.

Rob had an exciting night on Thursday. While I was at housegroup, he heard people in our back garden, opened the door to tell them to 'move along please' and one of them asked to come through the house, which he did. Then a policeman entered through the front door, one through the back and they arrested this 'yoof' for public order offences, in our kitchen, near the sink. The offences were not commited there, just the arrest. H was awake and heard people shouting etc, and told me this morning that: 'the police did not ring the doorbell, and they should, because everyone else does and we have a sign (which she put up) which says 'bell', so people know what to do'. The police officers did not speak to, or acknowledge Rob, in the whole of this event.

It's like being in The Bill. I DO NOT MAKE THIS UP.

H told me this morning also of her revised career plans (she used to want to drive people home from hospital after they had got better), and the career ahead of her is ' running the parties and the swimming at Bitterne Leisure Centre'. Aim high, that's what I say.

All that interaction with H was pretty good going as we only got up at 8.18am, and got to school by 9am. She also told me that they were thinking about 'sources of light' in her class, and she suggested Jesus as one. Amen to that! Not sure if the context was Science or RE, but think her teacher who is a Christian, would have taken encouragement from this offering. A has been busy today sticking bits of 'faberick' on to bits of paper and calling them 'Tescos'. It is very therapeutic and worth a try, I made several and added pieces of ribbon as she suggested. At Little Roos we had our raffle, and I won a White musk shower gel set. Could have been worse. Honest, you didn't see the prizes!

On Wednesday (busy week eh?) I escorted my church work colleagues (not in the sense of being an escort from the yellow pages, just in terms of being with the three of them) to Fairthorne Manor, which is the venue for our annual church weekend away. It was a beautiful spring day, and I helpfully contributed to the meeting with the man who sorts out details for us, by a. suggesting he wear a vest and b. telling him that Lou was not spelt Loo. I think that my presence there made a dramatic difference to the outcome of the deal we were brokering, and we shall all have seconds of pudding as a result. Thankfully for the YMCA and the church universal, I shall be working in the office next week, and they only let me answer the phone if there is no one else in the building, so should not cause any more trouble.

We have not used our car since Monday, and negotiations reaching the tender stage for car sharing scheme. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed this trial and am looking forward to a more creative, less car reliant, way of living. I have slowed down, have to plan ahead and not try to get loads of errands done, and things still happen, things get done, no one has suffered and I am enjoying being outside more. I find it hard to see how my little effort to be 'greener' makes much difference, and I guess it doesn't make much difference, it makes a little fractional difference, and it is in the benefits to my and my family's life as well as in the carbon emissions that I can see the results. I have not had any comments lately, but am really keen to hear how others are being less car reliant and any good ideas for us to follow, so please post me one.

Two weekends in Dorset, and for once the words 'sublime' and 'ridiculous' fit. In between, we have had two almost wholly successful car free weeks. I used the car to take a wet and dry hoover back to a friend's home, which is only a mile or so away, but beyond even my cycling ability, esp with Amy and a box of attachments. Rob also used the car one day to get to work as he forgot to bring his cycling kit home, but he did think through many other options before resorting to the car. He also used someone else's car, which we borrowed for one of the weekends away, because that doesn't count. It has been great to walk places with A and all of us are getting faster at cycling.

I have had a successful Sainsburys online shopping experience, so will stick with them from now on. We have 1 more week of trial to run I think, to the end of March, and then will review our transport needs.

Weekends! Dorset - a county of two halves. First weekend in a cottage in Drimpton, near Broadwindsor, which will be known to many as home of the craft centre with amazing selection of comedy ties. This was a ladies weekend, with some walking on cliff tops, sitting on the beach, and much drinking wine and eating. Best to do it all in that order to avoid fatalities.

The second weekend was at Haven Rockley Park in Poole. It was my second Haven, and after great time at Littlesea it had a lot to live up to. The girls and the kids of the other 2 families we went with had lots of fun, usual winning combination of playpark, swimming pool, soft play area, sleeping in a caravan, Rory show and games including family bingo, mixed up with fizzy drinks, crisps and chocolate. I just found it a bit more lager fuelled than Littlesea, and if you were going to ask my opinion on which one to go to, I would probably say to head for Center Parcs. No! We might try Butlins next year though...

Probably I was annoyed that I did not win on the bingo. Especially as I went to proper Bingo a few weeks back and didn't win then either. Clearly my neptune and venus are not lining up in Sagitarius and Capricorn, and a lunar landing is imminent, but not a Bingo win. This Friday is our grand raffle at toddler group, so hope all my luck is holding out for that event.