We are in the first full week of the new school year. What a summer children and teenagers have had over the last two or three months. The beach with the warm sea lapping on its shores has been magical. Sandcastles have been made in abundance. Running in the fields was an everyday occurrence.

There was no need to check for raindrops in these southern parts. The only chore has been to apply a daily dose of sunscreen.

Plenty of farm work has been done. The painting of gates and walls around the country’s farmyards could be undertaken on any day. It was a great opportunity to teach children new skills. There was no rain to interrupt the work.

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When the grass stopped growing, so did the lawns. One chore less. The weed work in the garden also halted, another chore less and so on.

It has been a unique and different summer. As my son Phillip said many times in the last few weeks, “Any day I can change the fence for the cows in Crocs and shorts is a good day.” Of course, it has brought challenges. It was easy to park them in good weather, though.

Last-minute shopping

This week is the first full week of school. Julie, my daughter, had completed my grandson Ricky’s school list online earlier in the summer. I was in our local village, Ballincollig, the day before school started.

I telephoned Julie to see if there was anything he needed for school. I love to be involved and in the know.

She said, “Yes, we need triangular pencils. They were not available online from Eason.” She continued, saying she’d pick them up in Ballincollig on her way up to us later, as Ricky needed a haircut for school. I wouldn’t hear of it. I was delighted to be able to get something for my grandson as he goes into first class.

I headed into Mr Price and was surprised to see it so full of people last-minute shopping. Parents and children were jostling with each other to get stuff. It would not have been an accessible environment for Julie and Ricky.

I was also surprised to see so many dads shopping with their little ones, and they were just as frustrated as the moms. Alas, there were no triangular pencils.

As children return to their studies, it is the ideal time to re-do or start the jobs list. It is a great habit to start as early as possible

My next stop was the lovely shop Art & Hobby in Ballincollig Shopping Centre. I was successful in my hunt for the triangular pencils.

As my grandson lived with us until he went to school, he still likes to return to the barbers in Tower, near us, where he’s well known for his chat.

We headed off and Ricky gave clear instructions as to how his hair was to be cut, specifying a short fringe that was to be gelled upwards. It is lovely to see him so happy about going back to school.

Jobs list

As children return to their studies, it is the ideal time to re-do or start the jobs list. It is a great habit to start as early as possible. When my children were growing up, I had things on my list like emptying the dishwasher, filling the dishwasher, wiping down the table and clearing it off, and so on.

We also had a policy of giving the exam student the year off from chores. That went down a treat. The existence of the list up on the wall removed the stress of asking the children to help with household chores. They loved reminding each other.

It’s a good idea not to overload the list. Keep it fair and then it works. The homemaker can become a busy fool. Asking for a little help is reasonable.

So, get the list implemented and good luck to everyone.