One

Sweet little Margot will be one year old tomorrow morning. I took this picture of her on Wednesday of this week. She is sitting in our hallway with her coat on and her cute little cow slippers. She was ready to go out.

For the past four months, Shirley and I have looked after Margot every Wednesday. She arrives at around eight thirty and we take her home around five o'clock. It has been a privilege to care for her and to witness her steady development. She is a gorgeous child and as I hold her in my arms, I often find myself saying to her, "You're so lovely!"

She now crawls like an Olympic champion and in the last couple of weeks she has learnt how to pull herself up at the coffee table or the sofa or the  first two steps of the staircase. She sparkles proudly each time.

To be honest, Shirley takes the lead when we care for the little girl. I am just the second in command, like a reserve force. Shirley is a brilliant carer, well-organised and on top of basic things like feeding and laundry. It reminds me of what a good mother she was back in the eighties when our own children were born.

Of course, Margot has everything she needs but for her birthday, we have bought her  this cuddly monkey made entirely from recycled materials:-

Plus a musical book called "If You're Happy and You Know It" and a "Baby Einstein" Guitar  with buttons she can press to make music.

Just this morning, her other grandparents returned to England from a six week sojourn in Western Australia. They will be back in Sheffield tomorrow afternoon to celebrate Margot's first birthday. Let us hope that they have not bought her an identical monkey, a musical book and a "Baby Einstein" guitar.