1. While I'm getting lunch from the counter, Alec falls asleep on his godfather -- who has to learn rapidly how to eat with one hand.
1. While we are eating lunch on this hot bright day, a tiny lady in a coat and hat -- she looks like a character from a Miyazaki film -- shuffles in and orders a sausage roll at the counter. When she reaches the till, she puts a handful of coppers on the counter, and turns out her purse, which is attached to her trundler with a piece of chain. It is painfully empty. "Don't worry, Mary," says the cashier. "We'll sort it. You're in here all the time... I know, I know, they took your purse. Don't worry about it. Go and sit down, and I'll bring it over."
3. "What is it, darling?" The mother is wondering why I've left her holding my puree-covered son and gone to the door. "I heard Daddy's voice," I tell her. "It's too early," she says. But minutes later his car comes down the drive.
4. We put Alec to bed in a drawer padded with a cellular blanket. We've stuck religiously to the bedtime routine, and I've tucked Snorgle Dog under the blue fleece to help him feel at home. I feed him to sleep as usual, and when he goes heavy, try to put him down. His eyes pop open, and he makes it quite clear that he is much too excited to sleep. When I go back in, he is still waving his arms and legs and babbling to himself.
