It's the Friday of half-term, which means the epic to-do list that was compiled on Monday is now looking more like a work of epic folly, and I have to face-up to the fact that the next have term will see me muddling along in the usual fashion rather than being uber-organised. Unless of course i use these remaining hours constructively...

So, muddling along it is then.

I'm here primarily to relay thanks for the many pressies that Olivia received for her birthday last weekend. Obviously she didn't get the thing she wanted most - the head of Rafa Benitez on a plate - but a scooter, a wendy house and assorted other goodies come as big compensation.

If we were half way decent human beings you could look forward to thank-you lettrs in the post. Nor will i use the strike as a fig-leaf to conceal our shoddiness. So please accept this in lieu of a thank-you letter.

And if you are thinking 'Well, they never send presents for our kids,' i can assure you that we do buy them. It's just the parcelling and posting them bit that we have issues with. We'll get better though. Promise.