WONDERS never cease. Not only did the sun shine throughout the Easter bank holiday weekend but Watford FC treated their fans to three points on Monday.

By my children's reckoning, because Watford beat Portsmouth 4-2 on Monday and Portsmouth beat Manchester United 2-1 on Saturday, tomorrow's FA Cup semi-final should finish 6-3 in Watford's favour. There was a degree of logic in that, I suppose, but we live in hope.

We spent much of the bank holiday Monday sitting in the sun and debating the big game at Watford Irish Centre's family fun day. It wasn't the best patronised event on the social calendar but good clean fun nonetheless. The Irish Club always seems to make an effort to provide entertainment for the whole family on such occasions with music throughout the afternoon, a bouncy castle, barbecue and organised games for the little ones.

And with that great big field there's always plenty of room for a game of football, rugby, rounders or cricket with no danger of bashing someone's car or upsetting the neighbours.

The Ansells (well, eight of the family, poor Frazer Jnr and girlfriend Colette drew the short straws and were working at Next in Charter Place) sat with nanny and granddad Spicer and the Horwoods from Crossmead.

Horwood senior, Bob, is a hunting, shooting and fishing type who wouldn't be out of place roaming the woods with Zac Dingle in Emmerdale - come to think of it, he looks a bit like him too with his thick set and beard.

It's amazing to contrast his quite matter-of-fact, even brutal, views on killing what he eats with his endless enthusiasm for preserving, protecting and enjoying wildlife and his joy at the diversity of it thriving in this neck of the woods.

There are at least ten foxes which are regularly fed at the Irish Club by one old stager, he explained. There is even a picture of them adorning the club's breakfast menu - I hasten to add, all alive and well, rather than being offered as the dish of the day.

As well as the foxes, Bob has recently spotted a red kite overhead and a visiting glossy ibis feeding in the River Colne at Oxhey Park (I must be honest, I thought the only way an ibis would find its way to Oxhey was with a passport and a plane ticket, but Bob knows his stuff so who am I to argue).

I wondered who else could have identified either bird if they had seen them. It seems he has eyes and ears for all life in the countryside while most of us just look without seeing too much at all.

His son Mike has followed in the family tradition and doesn't flinch at the thought of going out in the morning to bag his Sunday lunch. It really is a lifestyle rationale at odds with living in a town like Watford.

No doubt Mike's two sons will follow the country code too. I certainly couldn't do what they do, but I suppose it's different strokes for different blokes.

After discussing at length the wildlife outside the Irish Club, we decided to investigate the wildlife inside and join the children's disco.

Phoebe, 6, Kealan, 8, and Finlay, 11 in a week or so (he's ticking the days off on his calendar) made the most of the musical party games with varying degrees of success.

Am I the only dad in Britain who hates party games? Of course you want your children to compete and do well, but doesn't it break your heart when you see the disappointment on their faces when they don't? And how annoying is it to see the bigger children simply out-muscling the smaller contenders all day long?

Phoebe, however, is no shrinking violet and she can mix it, by stealth and by strength, with just about anyone. On this particular occasion she was runner-up to a girl slightly older than her in musical chairs, but it was a fair contest. The victorious youngster went up on to the stage to claim her prize, a purple cuddly monkey, but then marched straight over to Phoebe and presented it to her. "How kind" we thought.

A few minutes later Phoebe won the musical statues competition and collected her prize of a box of chocolates. Instead of running to mum or dad to show off her trophy she went to the other girl to reciprocate her kind gesture but the youngster happily declined.

It was a very sweet moment and a perfect example of friendship and generosity between strangers and it was probably quite fitting that it should take place at Easter.