At family mealtimes, there's always one child asking Mum if they can be excused before they've finished...

There'll be no pudding for that kitten. Although in Shimmy's case, she's not so much fed up with her children, as well-fed on their dinner. I only just managed to snap that photo before she dived in and helped herself.

But on the subject of eating, the good news is that Lisa's made it through the night, and is definitely on the mend. I braved Asda at 11am yesterday morning (as did everyone else in Brighton, from the look of it), and having battled my way through the crowds to the pharmacy department, I found they'd sold out of Dioralyte. I did manage to buy two cartons of Oralyte, but having studied the packaging, I'm still not sure whether I've bought a pharmaceutical healthcare product, or just an overpriced blackcurrant drink for kids.

Either way, Lisa couldn't keep it down. I'd made a mental decision to call the doctor at 3pm if she was still being sick, but as luck would have it, she stopped around two-thirty. From that point onwards, she was able to keep down small amounts of liquid, and within a couple of hours she was devouring an ice lolly. We'd spent the afternoon watching 'Me and You and Everyone We Know' on DVD, while I stroked her back and rubbed her feet. A combination which proved a lot more effective than the Oralyte. Shortly afterwards she fell asleep for the first time since 2am, and by the time she woke up, was feeling a bit better.

As of this morning, she's begun eating again, and like her daughter before her, Lisa can now open her mouth without sickness coming out. Which is handy, as I'm still struggling to get Amelie's vomit stains out of the carpet.