Due to industrial action on Wednesday, half of the classes at our local school were told to stay at home. I can only imagine the gut-wrenching state of furious injustice the children who actually had to go into school felt. I would have been absolutely livid.

Fortunately, both our children’s teachers were militant enough to take part in the strike, which meant I managed to use some time to take the day off with them. And it’s only when you take a small break from the usual mid-week routine that you really appreciate time spent together.

The first hour... well the first couple of hours... okay, most of the morning was spent dossing around in our jim-jams, watching TV, playing video games and generally slobbing about.

I’d had a brilliant idea to make strike day pancakes - always a winner in our house, whatever the occasion - and felt doubly satisfied because I managed to turn out ten perfect pancakes without so much as a murmur from the smoke alarm.

In a bid to put off tidying up all the dirty pots and the coating of plain flour that everything in the kitchen seemed to have acquired, I suggested going for a walk, which was generally met with a stony silence. Undeterred, I decanted the children out of their PJs and we set off for a nice country yomp.

Mrs B, who was unfortunately at work, texted me to ask what we were doing.

Walking in the forest, I texted back.

What forest? she wanted to know.

I described our general location. She wrote: That’s not a forest, it’s a wood. Don’t you know the difference?

Actually, I don’t, being dragged up in an urban landscape. We strolled through the trees just as the sunshine began to break through the cloud and dappled the forest – sorry, wood floor through the branches.

I secured a stick – obviously the first thing anyone should do in a rural location – and strode off like Gandalf while our conversations rolled on without form or purpose.

What made-up world would we all like to live in? The ones from the Adventure Time and Pokemon cartoons were favourite, along with the Minecraft video game world.

What’s the best thing to do in a zombie apocalypse? The boy was for finding an underground bunker somewhere and waiting it out, while I thought heading for high ground – zombies can’t climb mountains, there would be fresh water and less chance of being trapped – was the best idea.

After our walk we fetched up at a local eaterie and availed ourselves of a slap-up lunch, texting pictures of ourselves to Mrs B and wishing she was with us. I felt so rejuvenated with fresh air and good food that when we got back I even did the Hoovering and tidied up the spilled flour. The boy did his homework, the girl read a book.

I was content. The children might have missed out on a day at school, but I felt as though I’d had some much overdue education about what’s important in life.