I'm beginning to wonder if I'm in the midst of a mid-life learning crisis, it's not that I've got lots of extra time on my hands, or maybe I'm just looking for excuses to get out of the bedtime routine, but if there's a course starting I can't help but sign up. It started last year with learning to swim properly, followed by a digital photography course and culminated in a Christmas Wreath Making evening (definitely the most fun and strangely competitive!)

This year it's cupcakes. The Dish Ran away wIth the Spoon based in West Didsbury along with the Museum of Science and Industry have started running Cupcake Decorating Workshops. And with a 6pm start once again I've got out of a Peppa Pig story and I'm heading up the Parkway into town.

The location is fantastic, it felt very strange to be in the fabulous MOSI building at night, and the cafe was the perfect place to do a cooking course. Anna from The Dish Ran away with the Spoon was a very calm and excellent instructor and soon had us rolling out icing and creating all sorts of butterfly and flower decorations. Getting hold of the butter icing was not nearly as daunting as I was expecting and after a few practice goes we were let loose on the cakes.

The end products all looked amazing and despite the same cutters, frosting and colours we all managed to make very different but fabulous cakes. You get to keep your creations and it took all my will power not to eat them as I headed back down the Parkway to catch up on a PTA meeting.

First though, I couldn't wait to find out how fellow Babies in the City mum had got on at her evening course - life drawing! Not sure I'm ready for that yet.

The next cupcake course at MOSI is on the 17th April at 6pm and costs £35. For more information go to www.mosi.org.uk.