I spent an hour this afternoon in the doctors' mess at the Sussex Eye Hospital, listening to a debate about Norrie Disease, a rare genetic disorder which is carried only by women, and affects only their sons. It causes baby boys to suffer retinal detachments within the first few months of life, followed by cataracts in early childhood, the wasting away of the iris, inevitable blindness, possible deafness, plus mental retardation with a high chance of psychosis.

It made me think that I need to be a bit more thankful for Amelie. And not lose her so easily in supermarkets. The fact that she has so much to sing about on a daily basis is something we should never take for granted. So with that in mind...


I can't believe you can still see those tattoos. At this rate I'll have to book her in for laser surgery.

But that aside, my best guess is that Amelie's first song was this little number from '3rd & Bird', although she's clearly given it her own unique twist, and come up with something dangerously close to jazz. The way she sings "skipper dipper dipper", it's like she's using Chloe to put the cat back into scat-singing.

In addition to prizing Amelie's health, vitality and musical talents, I also need to value my friends more. I bumped into my good pal Stefan outside the Eye Hospital at lunchtime today. I haven't seen him since the end of February because he lives far, far away, right over the other side of the town centre. It would take at least five minutes to get there on a bus. So having hugged him with a guilty conscience, and spent a few minutes catching up when we both should have been at work, I've resolved to pull my finger out and invite him round for dinner ASAP.

I just need to go on holiday first...