Yesterday Heidi stood for the very first time. A little unsteady at first but she did it for a fraction of a second. I had hold of her and upright and she locked her knees as she stood. I let go for a nano-second and there she was, vertical. Once she realised that gravity had the better of her I caught her. She was not that fussed but it could be developmental milestone as they say.

This morning saw the rain blow away and so her nappies were aired on the line like hanging bats. She and I had a lie-in whilst Rachel was downstairs finishing off the dining room. A lazy breakfast for me saw me having scrambled egg, rocket and chopped chillis in a floury bap, then we headed out to get something for Heidi. It is something she has always wanted we think, as she has a fascination for the plastic fish that wobbles about in the baby bouncer we bought. Rachel’s brainwave last night turned into reality as we headed to the pet shop…..

Heidi is now the custodian (or will be) of a small glass fish tank that is in the sitting room, next to the settee. We set it up today and have the filter in place, a couple of plants plus some gravel from the shed. It is “aqua gravel” no less, which I bought a few years ago just before I embarked on another project – giant land hermit crabs. They never materialised of course as I realised that they are simple life form but need to be sprayed regularly with water to keep their gills moist. It was a good idea but I decided that the gravel might be put to better use one day in the future. Today it emerged.

It is a simple tank, half a glass hexagon that will house three or four fish, cold water, as we wanted to keep it all very simple. I used to keep cold water and tropical many years ago and was evena member of a local fish keeping society. I tried marine for a little while but that was too difficult and so the hobby disappeared.

The tank is now all set up to receive the fish and next weekend we shall go and have a look for something to put in it once the water has stabilised. It is rather a quiet pump but already bits of plants are swirling around and Heidi has noticed it too.

She had a good day and slept most of the day really. The weather improved in the end but not much sun. She spends most of her time wrapped up at the moment which is a shame as it is supposed to be summer.

Emily came around this evening and so Heidi had a good nap whilst on her lap, snuggled into her fleecey top. Cuddles are her favourite - especially just before her sleep-time......