Carolyn Mandache

I knew this year's summer holiday would be quite a challenge. Those silent readers I have will already know about my two nieces who now  live with us, making for a very busy house with 4 young children.This is the first time we have all been on holiday together, and yes, it is indeed a challenge. I would like to be a glamorous Victoria Beckham/Angelina Jolie type, juggling multiple kids with a busy life and taking everything in my stride. So far on this holiday I am more like Victor Meldrew, a big grump unable to see the funny side of things. I am determined to change my attitude and enjoy my much needed break. The straighteners have been unpacked and my oversized sunglasses are on, so I'm feeling a bit more Beckhamish.  Today's blog centres around how to survive a family holiday and stay sane.( I suspect it may take a while due to being interrupted every two seconds). I have discovered to my horror, that I actually have 3 moody teenagers disguised in pre-pubescent bodies...

I recently found a very interesting article on the findings of a BBC Radio 2 competition. The competition invited children up to the age of 13 to submit short stories, and the entries were analysed  by the Oxford University Press, to try and give an insight into the way children think. The article is  useful to me as a children's author; the information gathered clearly indicates what appeals to modern children through the topics they chose to write about. I was pleased to read that textspeak was "not as common as you'd think", and that "fantasy still rules over technology". Many parents, myself included, fear that computer games, ipads etc. are killing off our children's imaginations, it is reassuring to read that children are still choosing to write fairytales and ghost stories. Admittedly, there were mentions of iphones and games consoles, but as the article pointed out, "Blackberries are still usually blackberries". The link to the article ...

I have become more interested in wolves after a recent visit to the Scottish Deer Centre, near St. Andrews. I was surprised to learn that wolves are now a feature at a deer centre, and was slightly disturbed by the fact they were being fed venison. However, I listened with interest to an educational talk that was given on the possible re-introduction of wolves in Scotland, which is being debated at present. The red deer population in Scotland has significantly increased since wolves were hunted to extinction, and although I am a big fan of deer, I am now aware of the problems they can cause. Due to their large numbers, deer graze an area of land until there is nothing left, which in turn affects other wildlife. Many deer die of starvation, which is extremely sad. Case in point, on Christmas Day last year, there were three young deer standing on my driveway (much to the delight of my children). The deer must have been extremely hungry to venture so close to humans, and it saddened m...