At the risk of making his life sound far more exciting than it is, my Dad is 74 years old, lives in Hastings, and drives a Hyundai. Which is like a car, only cheaper. So it's slightly disconcerting to get up on a Wednesday morning, turn on the computer, and read this on The Argus website...


I had to e-mail my Mum first thing this morning just to confirm that my Dad was still alive. I'd have phoned, but I didn't want to get caught up in a long conversation about my father's sudden and violent death, in case I was late for work.

Fortunately, it transpired that my Dad was still in bed, and the closest he'd come to a head-on collision with a tree was the moment his bald spot brushed against the headboard. So that was reassuring. On the downside, it appears that men of his age are now classified by The Argus as "elderly", so he might have to swap his Hyundai for a mobility scooter. Which will probably be more expensive.

Anyhoo, on the subject of mobility, the big news from around here is that Toby is finally getting off his backside, putting his best foot forward, and gaining enough momentum to move in the right direction. He's been confidently crawling backwards for the past few weeks, but without a rear view mirror it invariably results in him reversing into Amelie's dolls house, or under the nearest chair. He basically backs himself into a corner and quickly runs out of options.

In the past couple of days however, he's begun to achieve the kind of advanced levels of coordination rarely seen since Amelie learnt how to do Gangnam Style. He's still travelling backwards more often than not, but he's managing to mix it up a little by throwing in the odd stride forward. I don't think he's quite worked out the difference, so he's a bit like the woman in this video...


... but as things stand right now (and let's hope he doesn't quite yet), he's got about a 30% chance of going in the direction he wants to. He was nine months old yesterday, so he's still a way behind his sister, who was confidently raiding the tuck shop at the age of seven months, but quite honestly, if he ends up a little less active than Amelie, it will be a blessed relief.