Gardener and writer Debbie Webber recounts moments from her chaotic and busy life as the mother of five children ranging in ages from three up to thirteen in her regular column The Fab Five...

The mud has been scraped off our boots, the washing is mostly done and now all that is left is to glow in a post festival haze. We have, once again, entered the world of festivals.

They were not something that featured in my life pre-children and quite frankly I'm kicking myself. Why? Why didn't we go when we were young, free and vaguely solvent? And had a lot less stuff to cart about. Now I come to think of it, I really don't know what I did with all that spare time and money before the children came along.

It is, perhaps, best not to think about that too much and turn my thoughts instead to the wonderful weekend the Fab Five, plus ageing parents, have just enjoyed. It is better that way because with all this rain, I am certain to go mad. And there's still five weeks or so of the school holidays left.