Just over a year ago in a time of great stress (we'd been in the process of selling our house and buying a new one for 3 months and had just realised our buyers were out to mess us around and we were close to losing the house of our dreams) we took a spur of the moment decision to run away to France and it did us the world of good.

This time my decision to run away for a few days had a bit more planning but amazingly I once again managed to time it to coincide with an event my parents were running...

So today I put all thoughts of EU VAT, and the possible cessation of my pattern-selling, to one side and jumped on the Eurostar to Calais with just a brief stop at The Booking Office in St Pancras for a restorative drink whilst I waited for my train. This bar is jaw-droppingly beautiful. All wood-panelling, beautiful staff, original station features and delicious cocktails and the chance to sit for a minute, stare at the Christmas tree and forget the world was just what I needed.

Then it was onto the train for the hour-long ride to Calais during which I even managed to begin a new cross-stitch project, before meeting my parents and heading to theirs for a few days rest.