1. The children come and sit on me to tell me all about the agency babysitter they had last night. Alec hid in his room and shut the door, but Bettany is very pleased to tell me about the ad breaks in Britain's Got Talent.
2. The train disgorges scouts, cubs and beavers, each group in a different uniform. It makes me think of the parade of playing cards in Alice in Wonderland.
3. The story of the day comes out in a disordered rush, the streams crossing and clashing as they vie for their turn to speak. Among the torrent I can make out quad bikes, a climbing wall, hot dogs, sweets, packed lunches, a boy called Gideon, a hamster wheel, last one standing, sumo suits, queuing, a bouncy castle, stilts...
