It's me and Am in front of Hastings Pier!


Ignoring the fact that I look like a hamster with a beard, you'll probably notice that one of us looks a lot happier to be there than the other. That's because one of us had gloves. The other had hands so cold she didn't even know she was holding a biscuit.

Anyhoo, I took that photo at 11:30am this morning, during Amelie's daily constitutional near her convalescent home by the seaside. I'm due back at work tomorrow, and with Lisa currently on day 16 of the Swine Cold, it was decided that she shouldn't be left alone with Amelie. Mainly because she's liable to throw up on the carpet. Shortly after falling over on it.

So with Lisa's Mum refusing to step foot over our threshold in case she catches something hideous (and I don't mean sight of me first thing in the morning), I was left with no option but to place Lisa and Amelie into the hands of two people who are already too ill to care. So I drove them over to my parents' makeshift infirmary yesterday afternoon. They'll remain there until they're well or they outstay their welcome, whichever comes sooner. I don't think it'll be long before I see them again.

In return, I've agreed to take back Chloe. She went back to St Leonards with my Mum after Christmas (I think she was packed in the wrong suitcase), so rather than come home alone this afternoon, I took Chloe off my parents' hands and brought her back to Brighton. It's a bit like swapping your cow for some magic beans (I'm talking metaphorically there), but with a bit of luck we'll have a fairytale ending, and by the middle of the week Lisa will have stopped knocking on death's door and be back to falling over the kitchen baby-gate. In the meantime though, I'll miss my little family.