After a day of gift-giving and receiving (the receiving being entirely on our side), we had high hopes of more presents yesterday, with the arrival of our old friend Marie from the depths of darkest Croydon. We haven't seen her since the riots in the summer, so at the very least I was expecting some basmati rice and a stereo.

Sadly however, she texted me on Saturday, resigning from her position in my cabinet of friends, in order to spend more time with her sofa. Her employers keep sending her across Europe like one of Hannibal's elephants, and she needed a rest day at home. So we've rescheduled for mid-February. The only thing likely to ruin those plans is if she gets invited out for Valentine's Day. So I'm confident we'll be seeing her.

The change of plan meant two things: firstly that I could eat the massive pizza we'd bought Marie for Sunday lunch, and secondly that we could have a rest day of our own...


Amelie could barely be more relaxed. Not only does she get to lie down, but she has two people to push her.

So with some unexpected free time on our hands, we dropped in on Lisa's Mum yesterday afternoon, before heading over to Queens Park for some fun in the sun. If you can't afford a gym membership, I can highly recommend pushing Amelie on a swing for half an hour. Not only does it give your biceps a thorough workout, but she acts as your personal trainer by shouting at you every time you start to flag.

In addition to building muscle on the swings, I also achieved a full cardiovascular workout by running rings around the world's heaviest roundabout, pushing Amelie and two other kids in circles for ten minutes. In the end, I had to be physically restrained by Lisa, who was concerned that I was about to collapse with a heart attack and didn't want my death to traumatise any small children.

So we headed instead to the tranquil setting of the nearby lake for a game of 'Name That Film'...


That's Amelie doing Forrest Gump...


She just needs to look the other way and put Lisa's handbag on the ground.