The girls have been very difficult recently, arguing about anything and everything. Olivia has moved in with Leo and they sleep together on the spare double bed like a young married couple, while Bea now starts in our bed and is carried through to hers when we go to sleep.

But there is nothing like a common enemy to unite them.

The other day they came with me to drop Leo off at football. They decided to play. Bea, especially, fell in love with the ‘beautiful game’. I have rarely seen her so animated and happy. “I LOVE it mummy,” she kept running up to me and saying. The three of them were on the same team. I noticed at one stage they were shouting tactics to each other in French so the other (Arab) kids couldn’t understand.

It reminded me of Durham University days when the First XV rugby team had a move at the line-out called ‘Helena’ – those were the days….Will Carling was captain (and also captain of England) and he was going out with my best friend Iona. It all seems a long way away from his fall from grace and affair with Lady Diana.

The good news about football though is that I at least understand the rules…..

Copyright: Helena Frith Powell 2009