They say that schooldays are the happiest days of our lives (Ahem.) But are they? And did our teachers really understand us at all?

Have a look at this link and see what you think....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=507221&in_page_id=1770

Personally I suspect there was an awful lot of spite in some of those school reports.

It always surprises me to go into someone's house and discover there is no dining table, or one the size of a postage stamp. When I was growing up the table was a central feature (not the TV!) and everything in the house revolved around it.

My mother-in-law had a saying to the effect that provided your fireplace and your table were clear and clean, the rest of the day would take care of itself.

We have a fairly large table by modern standards, 5 feet long, and a little chewed around the corners (thank you, Ben). I have mended it with wood filler, but it still looks a little odd, particularly after the time Mr Penry nearly burned a hole in the middle when his home made wooden candlestick caught fire....

The table will easily seat 8 and is still the centre of my home. Plans were made there, shopping lists drawn up, the children did their homework there, we watch DVD's when we're sitting at the table, and of course, we sit down to eat together.

I don't know about you, but I love having meals altogether. Even if people arrive at different times (and breakfast here is a good example of this) then we are all coming to the same place, and there's a sense of continuity that I find really important.

I have only one rule at my table - no arguments. I will not allow anger and food to be mixed (it causes indigestion, for a start!) We can discuss, consider, talk politics, religion, tell jokes, but anything heavier than that has to wait until the food is cleared away.