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Recent family pictures. There's Shirley in her element at Christmastime with our three lovely grandchildren. Little Phoebe screwed her face up as three year olds are often wont to do at photo time. She is holding her cuddly friend - Monty the Sloth.

Below, still holding Monty, Phoebe has managed to get herself in Margot's cot. Two sisters together. I like the latent mischief in this photograph.

Phoebe will be four years old next week and we don't know what to buy her. After all she has got everything she needs and Christmas has only just passed us by.

I put a search into Google - "good birthday presents for a four year old girl" and most suggestions involved colourful plastic. Here in the western world, we give our children far too much plastic - mountains of the stuff.

Early next week, I think we will visit a branch of "Smyths" toy stores and the "Hobbycraft" store close by. I am sure we will find something for her there. She is surprisingly good at jigsaws. Maybe we will find her a 48 or 60 piece jigsaw to tackle. I plan to make her birthday card this year - not to save money but to give her the idea that to demonstrate one's love a card or gift might be handmade.

I am planning to drive Clint over to Hull tomorrow morning in order to watch Hull City's third round F.A.Cup match with Doncaster Rovers. Trouble is that I have acquired an irritating ticklish cough so I intend to head out to a supermarket shortly in order to pick up some throat lozenges.

Last weekend's snow continues to hang about, overstaying its welcome, but at least the temperature this evening is up to 0°C. Last night it was down to -5°C. The forecast is for much milder weather kicking in from Monday onwards. The sooner our pavements are ice-free the better.