It would be an overstatement to say that the sun actually shone today, but it did make a hestitant appearance, so, despite the fact that I still feel rather grim, we drove to Dorking and walked up to Leith Tower this morning. Absolutely stunning views from the top of the hill, but, since we forgot to put the CF card into the camera, we couldn't take any pictures.

Coming back, Sophie decided she was feeling ill too. Her main symptom - "My mouth tastes like I've been eating dog food." Some slightly anxious questioning from us established that she has not, in fact, got any frame of reference for what dog food tastes like, and she seems to have made a full recovery this afternoon.

Bobby has just spent half-an-hour at the bottom of the garden, burning various documents which we felt shouldn't go into the recycling. He seemed to get great enjoyment from this process. A normal family would probably just invest in a shredder.

What lies ahead for the rest of the afternoon - the ironing, the yummy dinner that Bobby is cooking, and Miss Marple on TV. Dear God we live on the edge. I only hope we can sustain this frenzied pace into our old age.