We were all up early this morning as daughter was leaving for her school trip to France at 6am.

She has been very excited and was all packed two days ago, so her clothes should be nice and creased by the time she unpacks.

There was a lot of discussion about whether or not 12 was too old to take a soft toy, so she sought advice from friends. In the end Mouse, the soft toy hand puppet which she has slept with since the age of one, was bundled into the bag 'just in case', along with enough CDs to hold a rave, and various other essential bits and pieces.

Mouse has gone everywhere with her since she was tiny, but I have noticed for the last two years he has spent his holidays hidden at the bottom of a bag, 'just so he's there', so I guess he won't see much of France either.

I got to put in all the boring sensible stuff like towels and clothes, and spent last night ironing last minute things while she did her nails.

This involved carrying all 20 bottles of nail varnish she possesses, wrapped in my new snowy white towel, down the stairs. Since daughter never puts the tops back on anything properly and never carries anything carefully, this meant one of the bottles broke, wrecking the towel while leaving a fluorescent pink puddle on the carpet.

"Sorry Mum," she said, "it was an accident." I didn't like to shout, seeing she was going away today, but did wonder at the sense of swinging a towel full of glass bottles of nail varnish against a door frame.

A whole bottle of nail varnish remover and half an hour of elbow grease has not shifted it, so I think the carpet will have to go.

Her friend's dad picked her up at 6am, and I felt quite sad as I waved goodbye. I feel quite strange about her going away, apart from knowing the carpets and towels will be safe for a few days.

She's been away before but only to stay with relatives. Well, she did go to Guide camp once, but we don't count that, as she only lasted one night before phoning and demanding to come home.

This time feels very different, possibly because it's to another country, but mostly because I think I see it as a harbinger of things to come. She's growing up and away from us which is only as it should be, but I am imagining her going to university or whatever in a few years' time and realising how strange it is going to be.

Anyway, having time to ourselves is a luxury for her Dad and I. We are looking forward to having control of the remote control and being able to watch what we like on TV for a change.

We are also planing to go out together, you know, both at the same time. Visits to a pub together have been few and far between since daughter was born. Usually one of us stays in with her while the other goes out so it will be odd both going out together. I don't know what else we will do. Perhaps we will go shopping for carpets and towels.