If you found your drive to work over the past week or fortnight quicker and easier than usual it was probably because the schools have been on their Easter holidays.
Seemingly, without warning, the school holidays creep up on us and, often, the only way you discover it's that time again is the distinct lack of traffic about our towns and villages circa 9.00am.
Easter has fallen very early this year and, apparently, it will not be this early for another few hundred years.
One of the downsides of such an early Easter is that the evenings are still rather short - the hour only going forward last weekend - and the weather has been very wet, windy and cold meaning the kids can't get out of the house as much as if Easter occurs in mid-April.
On the plus side local cinemas have been reporting an incredibly busy Easter period with large audiences attending both weekend matinees and evening showings of all films. And a look at what's showing at your local cinema would indicate the cinema owners have prepared well for this holiday period with plenty of family friendly releases.
In the romantic comedy '27 Dresses' Katherine Heigl plays Jane, a single girl who dreams of romance and meeting the man of her dreams - a true 'always a bridesmaid, never the bride' type of girl - but, unfortunately her happy ending seems a long way off.
That is until Jane's younger sister starts dating her own boss - who she secretly is in love with - and Jane is forced to look at her life to see where she has been going wrong and, more importantly is there anything she can do to stop being everyone else's bridesmaid.
'27 Dresses' sounds like it will appeal to all romantic comedy fans, and teenage girls, in equal measure.
Another family fantasy adventure currently showing is 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' - a special effects fest for the younger audiences.
This film is based on a series of children's books written by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black.
When a single mother and her young family move to a spooky house outside New York once owned by their great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick it's not long before inquisitive twin boys (played by Freddie Highmore) come across a magic book and soon find themselves fighting little green things with horns.
The Grace children soon discover the Spiderwick estate is inhabited by a host of small, very unusual and some very wonderful creatures.
Of course the adults don't believe that all the strange goings on, and odd happenings, are not just the children messing around. But the kids know different and soon find themselves in a fantasy world beyond the wildest imaginations. Some of these creatures may be a little scary for the very younger audiences but most should enjoy this adventure.
Also still playing at the local cinemas is the recently reviewed 'Horton Hears a Who' - a film about a friendly elephant who, thanks to his super hearing (elephants have rather large ears, you know) he discovers a whole city of tiny creatures living on a speck of dust in this beautifully computer animated version of a Dr Seuss tale.
Also look out for Alvin and the Chipmunks, Game Plan and 'The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep' which are still playing in selected cinemas.
If 'In Bruges' is still playing in any of the local cinemas please take the opportunity to go out and see this really funny thriller about hitmen starring Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes.
