We have arrived at beautiful. The children can't believe the expanse of water before us is not the ocean, but a lake. It is choppy, wavey, loud, beautiful. Our tent is pitched metres from the water in this stunning site. We went for a short hike and I am desperate to turn in for an early night, but the urchins are scampering around in the woods playing with chipmunks and the like. I am luring them in with a secret stash of Turkish Delight...please, I need to...

Tip. Waking up several hours before the children in the morning works better than being the last awake. I am showered, drinking a proper nice cup of tea, and have made breakfast which is sitting on their colour coded plastic plates. Which by the way is a lot quicker if you have a bathroom, kitchen, running water and electricity. So what if that took me one and a half hours. Thanks to my neighbour the beaver and his dam for the plentiful supply of dry twigs to...

A lake to swim in, a playground to play in, and a tent to sleep in. The kids are happy. I am thankful that the tent is mosquito proof. Drinking herbal tea inside the tent, listening to the Golden Compass and tending to a burn on Oliver's face which he got blowing into the chimney of the kelly kettle to heat the water to make the tea. But the tea is good! And so is the fact that the tent is mosquito proof. Did I say that already?

We had the opportunity to stay in a friend's mum's apartment in downtown Ottawa. We showered, ate and then took to the town! There was a festival on so we watched fire juggling and some interesting (hmm) drama, had a fabulous ice cream and walked down Confederation Boulevard taking in the fabby buildings of parliament. Using a real kitchen to cook food meant we had dinner and snacks for the next day too. I am underestimating the time that all this takes. The ...

Watched circus street performers and soaked in the buzz of Old Quebec until so late, the kids thankfully fell asleep in the car on the way back to the campsite and so had no idea how lost we got. Finding my way around the highways and byways of Quebec City proved more than challenging, but hey...we made it back to the tent before morning, which is the main point.