Back from Nappy Valley

Back to work, to the relief of my family after five months in Nappy Valley; refreshed yet exhausted, relieved that my children survived the experience.

Apart from several thousand e-mails, global economic meltdown, and a couple of sessions of the Welsh Grand Committee, what did I miss?

We may or may not be an invisible nation, but Welsh political news didn't always make it to my adopted corner of south west London during the last few months.

Occasionally, the odd rumour would penetrate domestic life. Some were less believable than others - did politicians really put iPods on expenses? Pull the other one, it's got flat-screenTVs on it.

The occasional murmur of stand-offs over LCOs did reach me, although my fellow members of the Trinity Tots playgroup appeared more concerned with jobs and the economic crisis than constitutional affairs. It's funny how parenthood changes (distorts?) your priorities.

In politics, a lot has changed, a lot has stayed the same. Parliament's Welsh Affairs committee rushed out its report on gloablisation before my return. The Conservatives published their long-awaited report on devolution but have apparently yet to reach a conclusion.

The Daily Sport has acquired a new political columnist. You can apparently also follow his work on Tweetminster, the latest invention for those with too much time on their hands.

Whisper it quietly, but it is possible, I discovered, to live outside the blogosphere. Tempting as it was to rush online to discover what, for example, Peter Black had to say on the latest fiscal stimulus, something else always intervened (usually a full nappy) to concentrate the mind. There were days when I barely had time to read Hansard.

Having spent this morning ploughing through the inbox it may take me some time to catch up with political events. Please bear with me and if there's anything of significance I've missed during my time away from the coalface, do get in touch and let me know.