Stephen quit his job today, and says he's become vegetarian. That is what cleaning in a butcher's shop will do for you. I know it was quite repulsive work, but I think he's going to regret not having that £35 every week. We certainly can't afford to give it to him ...

He is about to go off to a party; I hope that he has fun and that this evening will be a good memory for him when he's an adult, rather than one of those cringe-making teenage memories that most of us have tucked somewhere at the back of our minds.

Now here's the oddest thing that happened today. I'll be interested to hear if any of the rest of you think there's something a bit off about this, or if I'm just a prude. I was standing in the queue in Boots (the chemist, aka pharmacy) and I noticed that the little boy of about Sophie's age behind me was holding not one, not two, but three packs of 12 Durex condoms for his dad. I mean, our kids know we use birth control, and they know what kind, but they also know that, while we'll answer questions about it, it's essentially a private thing, between the two of us. And we certainly don't make them a part of the buying process. I particularly didn't like the way that the dad looked down at his son holding the condoms and said "Dude!" in a kind of knowing all-boys-together way.