It seemed an easy enough thing to remember - school photos on first morning back after half term. However, I hadn't realised that it was also first time back after Hallow'een...
There I was, in the queue, doing what I vowed I would never do - spitting on my children's faces and then rubbing frantically with a sleeve. I got most of the grey off from around eyes from the daughter who'd been a pumpkin, most of the whiskers off the baby's cheeks, but obviously not enough of the eyeliner pencil zig-zagged round the older one's neck.
I was heartened when all the parents were standing around the school gates receiving their children's photo proofs and most of them either had clumps of flour in their hair, or stubborn green sludge at the hair-roots from apple bobbing in slime.
PS - the photos also reminded me of the set in the back of my parents' photo album with us all sat in a row with "PROOF" stamped across our faces: times were obviously hard...
Lorraine Jenkin is an author, journalist and blogger.
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