Something I really remember about our trips to Wales 25 years ago is that my mum was always trying to sneak off to boutique shops. We gave her such hassle about it. As a kid, I thought such shops were sooo boring (how wrong was I?!).

When she mentioned today that she’d rediscovered one of her favourite boutiques, I had no clue what store she was talking about. My brother and I only remember the joke shop, which, as my mum puts it, sold ‘farty’ not ‘arty’ stuff.

How the tables turn! As I snuck away for a half-hour break from our holiday today to meander up the high street, I realised that now-a-days it’s me who hot foots it to the shops as soon as an opportunity arises. Becoming a mother has made me fully understand the importance of browsing in solitude and being able to think about which handbag to buy.

What’s more, tonight we waved mum and dad off on a night out. They were going to see friends an hour away and disappeared at 5.30, with instructions from the rest of us to not be late back and to call if they were delayed. And, you know what, I have been worrying!

It’s raining cats and dogs outside and, as I mentioned, it’s about as rural as it gets here. Dad will be relying on the sat nav and Electronic Eddie could have all sorts of fun with his silly ‘short cuts’ up mountain passes.

That’s the odd thing about the countryside: when you’re used to living in a city, it’s being in the middle of nowhere that feels edgy at night. In Dubai, the sound of roads or planes overhead is just background noise, but here, if a sheep bleats in the darkness I’m startled. Baaaaa-HA-HA, Moooo-HOOO. And, at the crack of dawn, cock-a-doodle-rudy-do!

On the subject of animals, my favourite photo from the petting farm we visited today is this one of the little boy. He had great fun attempting to insert a corn flake in the rabbit’s nose.