Why my family hated Oxford and Bristol - but loved Swindon |
My nephews gave a scathing verdict when I took them from Swindon to Oxford and Bristol, as they claimed the later cities had nothing to offer children of their age.
Before Christmas, I'm not sure what possessed me to fly from Bristol Airport to Dublin Airport to pick up two young boys, my sister's children, who are both under the age of 12 and think I could cope several days trying to amuse them.
In some ways I wouldn't have had to try so hard, if only I had stayed put in Swindon - where I've lived since last year I became an editor at the Swindon Advertiser - a town they praised for being a great destination for children.
So let's start from the beginning, as you may have guessed, I'm Irish and have lived in the UK for more than seven years, and so my regular trips back and forth are often to see family.
However this year, knowing I would be skipping the normal Christmas festivities with the family, I thought I'd bring my nephews, 10-year-old "Ziggy" Isaac and 12-year-old Dion to my home instead - which would make a welcome break for my sister and a chance for them to have a holiday with the aunt they........