The sparkie came this morning to install an outside power point to supply electricity to the recently bought caravan. It means that whoever is lucky enough to be our guest will have a double bed and considerable privacy, with the chatter of magpies and hissing of possums as an extra bonus. Tom is eager to sleep in the van too and I might relent and let him have a few nights a week. If I was 13, I think it would have been a dream to have my own little place outside the main house so I understand his desire for a little bolthole.

We don't have a problem fitting everyone into the house, though its tight. The caravan gives us more options, including additional storage space. But both Ann and I feel that we will have to find a bigger house in the near future, one in which we can start afresh, somewhere where there are no prior relationship associations, if you get my drift. So we are making plans to that end.

After we bought the van in late January, the gentleman we bought it from kindly delivered it to us at home, refusing any payment. Here we are together, with Mick, on that day.