Thought I'd take a short break from my colossal pile of marking to bring you a quick blast of Olivia news, and of course to offer commiserations to anyone who was on the receiving end of dubious refereeing decisions this weekend...

Over the last couple of days Olivia's life has undergone a seismic change, one that has profound implications for all who live under our roof; after months of devoted allegiance to the residents of Balamory, Olivia has suddenly turned against Miss Hooley and co. Neither of us saw it coming - indeed we'd already bought a DVD that was packed away ready for Christmas which now has arriving soon on e-bay written all over it.

For obscure reasons known only to herself, Balamory has been replaced in her affections by, of all things, Tikabilla. All weekend Olivia has been craving more and more hits of her new favourite televisual narcotic, and has been staring at the screen in a state of blissed-out hypnosis when we've been sufficiently worn down enough to yield to her wishes.

Ultimately this is probably for the best; I was probably about one more 'Josie Jump Is My Name' away from totally losing my sanity, and my faculties had been so impaired that I was starting to convince myself that Archie's 'Great Inventions, Groovy Soloutions' ditty was worthy of a place on 'Pet Sounds'.

So long, Balamory!