We are back in Barcelona. It’s seven in the evening and the temperature is still a balmy twenty three degrees. The tall maple trees are swaying gently in the almost non existent breeze creating long dancing shadows as the late evening sun serenely sinks into the ocean. The wispy cirrus clouds in the otherwise pure azure blue sky drift almost imperceptibly towards the horizon as the rich aroma of tonight’s meal wafts hungrily across the balcony.


OK that’s enough of that but it is quire refined don't you thnk David. What I am trying to say is that it is another beautiful evening over here and I am outside cooking on the Barbie at 7pm on an October night with a bottle of cold beer and Joe my grandson helping. These are the times that I know why I retired early.


We arrived in Barcelona on Tuesday and on Friday morning Alex and Dave set of for a long weekend watching the quarter finals of the Rugby World Cup in Marseilles so we have a week end with Joe and Amber to look forward to.


So plans need to be made, trips need to be organised, board games have to found, packs of cards, things to make, we need to get ready so out comes the Black Book. Well it’s actually a different Black Book as Christine has left her Pink Black Book at home. Christine is busy doing other things and doesn’t seem too interested in planning ahead so I start to make lists.


Friday after school complete all homework, Friday night watch DVD. Saturday morning we play maybe Monopoly or Scrabble and after lunch a bike ride to Castelldels for a drink and some Tapas and then home for another DVD. That should do nicely.


Sunday we can walk down to the local shops for whatever food we have run out of, and after lunch perhaps a walk on the beach and a swim in the ocean. Follow that with a game of cards before an early night as it is back to school on the bus on Monday. Need to be up early.


I show Christine the plans and actually she seems less than interested as she carries on doing whatever whilst I am doing the important bit of organising our weekend. So with no further input available the plans are agreed and we have a day to ourselves until the kids get back from school.


Christine meets them as they walk back from the school bus and they all seem deep in conversation as they come in the house. I immediately show them the plans as I know they will be excited but then again perhaps not, they also seem less than interested and smile at grandma and go off to their bedroom to get changed.


An hour later I point out that the Black Book says homework and as yet I have not seen any being done. They both look at me with the same sort of look I often get from Christine. “Grandad we have been at school all week, it’s very stressful we just need to chill for a while” they both say “We will do the homework later”. Friday’s DVD also disappears as they are still chilling in their bedrooms. I assume they will come out at some time if only for a meal.


Saturday morning’s games turned into “we always have a lay in and a slob on a Saturday Morning Granddad”. Saturday afternoon’s bike ride was cancelled because both the kid’s bikes had punctures, so they did homework whilst I sorted the bikes out and the evening DVD was also cancelled in favour of bedrooms, laptops and the need to keep in touch with numerous people around the world.


So now it’s Sunday, the shopping trip is cancelled due to lack of interest so that just leaves the beach in the afternoon. Amber’s friend Natalie arrives and they are now re-mixing Hilary Duff songs with images from the internet to post on You Tube. What ever happened to playing Monopoly and who on earth is Hilary Duff. Joe is of course into much more serious conversations regarding homework with his friend Nick from school.


But what do you know Joe, Amber and Natalie all want to go down the beach so at least I got one of the plans OK. A walk and swim is followed by more bedroom time with their laptops and as bedtime arrives Joe can’t go yet as he is halfway through an episode of Simpsons and Amber simply cannot turn her computer off yet as she has so many friends on line. I give in and pour another glass of wine.


The weekend is over the kids are back at school for another stressful week and Alex is on her way back from Marseilles so things should be back to normal later today. But perhaps not for long. Alex and Dave were there to watch England stuff the Aussies and are now trying to get tickets for the semis next weekend if we don’t mind looking after the kids again.


Well don’t expect me to make all the plans, that all I can say. I seem to have missed the bit about them growing up. We did get to play cards but the last time we all played it was Fish, Cheat or Rummy but now it’s Poker, Texas Holdem it appears, with all the proper poker chips. We played on two nights Grandma and myself did not win.