Last week, when Zerlina was six weeks old, we took her photo against a photograph of her mother and me, when El herself was six weeks old.

I remember the day particularly; I had an appointment at the doctor for my six-week check-up and El had to be fed and changed first, but then the photographer arrived. He was a friend of my parents and had known my father since childhood, and their parents were friends too. Now, his son and wife are good friends of ours and their children went to school with El and Al and are still friends in their turn – in fact, Susie has already visited El and little z.

His name (the photographer’s), rather splendidly, was Wallingford; known as Ford, and his studio was just on the North side of the bridge in the centre of Lowestoft, if any of you ever visited the town in the past. One of his sisters was called Waveney, after the river.

Anyway, El was a bit fractious because she was hungry, but she stayed cheerful for long enough for the photos to be taken.

This is a week ago, BTW, little z is 7 weeks old now.