A surprisingly quiet half-term. We had Lucas stay for a week while mum and dad had a break in Majorca. I have often contemplated having another dog; to play with, take walks and of course a source of unfailing devotion. Lucas ticks all the same boxes, with the added advantage being that you don’t have to stop at every lamppost for a sniff.

Charlotte and Suraj had a restful time in Majorca, they slept a lot and shopped a lot.  Their all-inclusive hotel was situated next to the Samoa Hotel, in which sadly a little girl fell from a balcony and her mother was later found dead in the sea. They saw the helicopters but were unaware of the tragedy until we told them when they returned to the UK. Unfortunately, like many holidaymakers they had returned minus their suitcases, they had gone walkabout somewhere in Europe. We later learned that one had turned up in Berlin.

The weather has been lovely all week, so Lucas has had lots of walks; to the shops, the post box and the pub down the road (thoughtfully they have a play barn attached!!!!) I also managed to paint Sadolin (expensive stuff) on the garage fascia and many of the wooden bits around the outside of the house. I got so much into the swing of it that I also painted the benches and table in the garden, but I shan’t be doing them again in a hurry, much too fiddly.

Sue has spent a week making bottles of milk up for Lucas and then cleaning them as well as cooking meals that can be liquidised and then fed to a toddler. Pushing a pram and wiping the nether regions of a small boy were other tasks I was glad to let Sue enjoy.

Jamie is still seeing Lara.

Thankfully, Sarah also helped out a lot with Lucas, though she did manage a few sleepovers at friends. At present she is busy catching up with her homework.