boxes. honestly, it worked on so many levels.School Holidays means a very quiet time around Wellingtonista Towers, as all but one of the regulars are fully-fledged card-carrying parents. And Jo won’t come in if there’s no-one to regale her stories of horrifying medical treatments and bowel-movements to.

As well as looking after the kids, the homebound Wellingtonista have been taking some time to get those long-planned-for, often-postponed garden and landscaping plans into action. And there’s been a Film Festival on (some reviews of that to come, perhaps).

Anyway, this particular Wellingtonista had a fantastic time looking after his two wee lads for a few days this week. The boys were amazed at Zappo the Magician’s tricks (while the parents were astounded that he could manage to pad out a one hour show with only half a dozen bits of actual magic). Te Papa proved its usual haven for kids needing a runaround somewhere warm and dry on a cold and wet day. And Boxes – the big puppets play put on at Capital E – was great fun – much (much) better than some of the big budget American kids’ movie fodder that’s been thrown at us for the break. Throw in some beach action, some park action, a TV-free week, visiting friends and a couple of not-too-disastrous gingerbread making afternoons, and it was a top week all round.

And now, all we can think is: “roll on the next holidays.”