On Saturday for Maria's birthday we went out to Parc Asterix. It's like an Asterix themed, slightly dowdy version of Disneyland. It took us two and a half hours of travelling to get there, so unless you were driving out in your own car I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. But it was fun.

Josie went on the most insane roller coaster I've ever seen. Upside down through the loop-de-loops and corkscrews seven times.

Best ride was the last one: the log flume. I got soaked. Maria thinks those things are what boats are really like.

On Sunday I took the kids to Canal St Martin and we walked alongside the pleasant canal for a kilometre or so until we found a huge expanse of green grass with no 'pelouse interdict' sign banning us from running on it. The kids took off their shoes and wrestled and jumped over each other on the unfamiliar lawn.