Babysitting Opportunities: Management and I are in the happy position of having 16.5 grandchildren (Yes, number 17 is due in October) and this does present wonderful opportunities. Lucy, currently our youngest grandchild, lives in Sutton Coldfield and we spent a few days there in November. Now, Sutton Coldfield is near Tamworth; in Tamworth, there is one of these “out of town retail parks” where all the big-named stores congregate. One of these, whose name includes the letters M and S, is a particular favourite of Lollipop (otherwise known as Deannie, the name Lollipop deriving from her part-time job as a tour guide when we do our Fred Olsen Ship’s Doctor sessions – she has to carry a sign with a round plate on a long stick) and we were able to spend three whole days there during the November visit. Now, we all know that one visit to that store is never enough; you buy the goods and then you have to return to the store to change the ones that don’t fit, especially if, like Management, you hate trying stuff on in the store and soon become flustered. So, what to do when there are three days available? Easy! Buy stuff on day one, take half of it back on day two, buy some more and take half of that back on day three. I was quite happy with the arrangement as we were able to do nearly all our Christmas shopping, there was little travelling as the park is only four miles from the house, I had nothing else to do and the restaurant serves good coffee! We returned for two separate stints in March and managed to spend most of our daylight hours, while Lucy was at nursery school, gainfully employed in the retail park which, happily, includes that well known bloke store whose name includes the initials B&Q! We came home to Feltwell after the evening meal at the end of our session; at 6.30am next morning, the telephone rang – where had we put the one and only front door key, as it was not on its hook, and our teacher daughter Charlotte had to leave for school? I had a few very anxious moments until I suggested she might look in the outside of the front door lock where, as it turned out, I had left the key the afternoon before! Relief at finding the key was tempered by concern at my forgetfulness. Hey Ho!

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