Ticket to Pride

The Bollywood stuff seemed to be a firm favourite - "I think it's all the dressing up and costumes that appeals," said course director Linda Greene. To celebrate we had Sunday lunch at an Indian restaurant we hadn't been to before.

The "babies" as everyone calls the little kids, did just half a day on the course, while the rest were split into juniors and seniors and did their own routines, uniting for an 'everyone on stage' finale which raised the roof.

The girls have done shows before, but nothing they (and we) enjoyed half as much. It's a tribute to the hard work of their teachers, who included a former Royal Ballet principal.

There's another set of kids starting a course tomorrow, and they'll come up with a completely different set of routines which are bound delight a new audience at Welland Park Community College this coming Saturday.

Meanwhile, another week starts with our two off school with nothing to do - the current big problem facing families throughout the land.

Tickets for Hadrian are proving as elusive this week as those for Hamlet - some are already being offered on eBay for the London run of the show starting in December, by the way.

We have Wall E lined up and fun and games at Compton Verney, but Mary Poppins at the Hippodrome looks too pricey for a family of five. It's a pity there aren't that many chimneys left to sweep, because our smallest is a great climber and could make a tidy packet before she starts at junior school in September.

Any long holidays tips gratefully received and passed on.