Icing on the cupcake

Nigella Lawson has a pretty naff pet name for the group of personal staff and friends who enable her to be a successful working mother: 'Team Cupcake'.

While I am neither a household name nor fabulously wealthy like Ms Lawson, I do rely on a network of people to assist with the smooth(ish) running of my home and family. I'm not sure that the cleaner/ironing man quite counts as 'staff', but I'm allowing some poetic licence to draw comparisons.

The most important contributors are the grandparents, of whom my daughters are lucky to have six in total. My mother-in-law runs her own business but finds time to help out with school drop-offs and pick-ups each week, and my mum and dad are long since retired but work tirelessly as children's entertainers/educators at my home each Tuesday. So, I really ought to come up with a collective nickname to ensure that these invaluable individuals feel properly appreciated. Though my 79-year-old father would probably not take well to being labelled a cupcake.

Trampolines, training and triumph

Last month my mum celebrated a landmark birthday. We went to a friends' fabulous Georgian house in Birchover, Derbyshire. The girls revelled in the beautiful walled garden's least aesthetically pleasing feature '“ a huge trampoline the like of which my husband refuses to have spoiling his lawn at home; they even managed to persuade grandma to have a go.

The following weekend we took further time out as we made the most of a two-week half term and headed to Spain. We stayed at my father-in-law's villa in Tamariu on the Costa Brava; a charming village which was an undiscovered gem until a few years back when the area began featuring in the Sunday papers with accolades such as the best snorkelling site in the world '“ Illes Medes beat the Great Barrier Reef into second place in one article. I felt as though we were away for an absolute age, and for once none of my files chose to blow up in my absence.

As usual, however, before the holiday I worked several very long days to clear the decks. My second to last day in the office included what was a potentially very tricky meeting with a former independent financial adviser who has been accused of negligence. The case has unusually emotive circumstances and I expected to have a difficult time making any progress but was pleasantly surprised.

My return to the office saw me hit the ground running for various reasons. I have a huge letter of response due in respect of which we have ('reluctantly', of course) already been granted an extension by the claimant's solicitors. I had also forgotten amid sun, sea and sand that I had committed to co-present an internal training seminar on ADR and mediation immediately following my return. Such things always seem so far away when one agrees to them'¦

I have additionally this week managed to settle one of my longest-running cases, which concerned accountants acting as company auditors who were alleged to have very significantly overvalued the company in question which the claimant said had induced it to pay rather over the odds when it acquired a majority shareholding. The claimant's solicitors had boldly stated since the first complaint (over four years ago) that the claim had a value of up to £5m. A dramatic climb-down several months back saw them offer to accept just £40,000 plus something towards their startlingly high costs on the basis that their client wanted to walk away with some dignity plus more than a little of my client's cash. We persisted in saying 'not a chance' and the claimant's solicitors have just confirmed that the case will not be pursued. Hurrah! I was most elated on the day and felt quite let down when my clients were out of the office as I called to share the news. I'm hoping that I will manage to speak with them soon, and that they will be suitably euphoric.

Time for the team

My husband's business which was mentioned in my last article has now started, and something tells me that we will feel as though we need another holiday sooner rather than later. We are to manage the long six-week stretch of school holidays for the first time this year, and thinking caps need to be applied regarding the practicalities of that.

Time to bring on the support team, which really does now need a title. I am not known for my brilliant cakes so am leaning instead towards using my penchant for Chablis as my inspiration. How do you think my dad would like being part of my 'Premier Crew'?

Perhaps a little more thought is required. Suggestions on the proverbial postcard...

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