I am back off holiday and thank goodness. I am exhausted.

It's not that I have been anywhere exotic and, since I stayed at home, I am certainly not sporting any kind of tan.

Where on earth has our summer gone? Why have we turned the heating back on at the start of June!

Anyway, I took a few days off with only one plan in mind my house was going to be turned over from top to bottom prior to the arrival of a New Zealand friend next week.

Instead I got a lovely surprise. My daughter rang from Tanzania on Thursday t say she would be home on Saturday.

I repeat - it was a lovely surprise but, oh man! You should see my house!

Just for starters, any thought of cleaning went out the window. She brought home what appeared to be six months' of washing. Obviously, there has been little drying in this weather, so anything that couldn't got in the dryer is hanging around the house.

And she wants to go places!

We went to Carlisle on Monday, Edinburgh on Wednesday, Keswick on Thursday and sundry places between.

She has cooked us the most wonderful meals which leaves us too full and tired and all too ready to use the phrase: "We'll do the dishes in the morning."

We've sat over too much wine to discuss a huge variety of subjects from her life to the future of the planet.

I've loved every minute and it is not over yet.

Only thing is- what about my friend? I can't even justify taking another week off because, in the first place, it would just mean doing things with Sarah for another week and nothing constructive would be done.

Not sure what I am going to do when my friend arrives, either. She has been here for her daughter's wedding in London and my instructions were: "We are just going to relax and catch up."

I had fond images of us sitting outside enjoying a pink gin with raspberries, basking in the glorious sunshine and just chatting.

Huh! We'll be sitting inside with out coats on and the heating turned up to the max.

What makes it worse, is that we are going to be unfavourably compared with the south where temperatures have been soaring!

Why do I always choose to live in the coldest, wettest part of any country I call home?

If it doesn't clear up soon there will be no place for my friend to sleep. My daughter's clothing will have taken over. And, by the way, if I don't find a space to hang clean knickers soon we are all in a lot of trouble!

Still - there is still a lot of summer ahead of us. I am, all things going well, getting a new knee later this month. Without being dramatic, I can't wait to be pain-free.

Of course, I will need to take time off to recuperate. Maybe by then we will have sunshine and warmth and I will be able to come back to work early, healthy and leaping over tall buildings.

By the way, I LOVE having my daughter at home!