Elephant tree, biscuits and independence.

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1. "Elephants!" says Daniel. It takes us a moment to work out that he's looking at the tree that Sarah gave me. My mother made the same comment when she saw it.

2. Ellie (who is still a bit shy) mouths "Thank you" to me when I tell her to go for it with the biscuits.

3. His two-year-old daughter thinks its hilarious. Our arms are full of flattened boxes, and no-one has a hand free for toddler wrangling. She sits on windowsills, climbs railings and veers off the path, doubling back and running rings around us. In the middle of the park, she stops short and lies down on the grass to smile at the sky.

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