It's Amy, Amy Our Girl

Over the past week, there have been more important things to do than blogging.

17 July

Amy Eveline Barnes, our granddaughter is born at 8.27 pm - 7lbs 14 oz. Rebecca, her mother and Amy are doing spectacularly well.

18 July

At 4 pm my wife, Ann and I welcome a full taxi load back from the hospital to Amy's home. Its Amy herself, mother Rebecca, the proud father (Stephen our son) and Aunty Joanne (our daughter). Shortly afterwards Amy's two year old brother Joseph is collected from the nursery and meets his sister for the first time.

But I can't hide from blogging. The Evening Standard carries a diary item based on this item which I posted earlier.


19 July

Ann and I look after both our grandchildren whilst Stephen and Rebecca walk to the polling station to vote in the Ealing By-election.

20 July

Announced that Labour won the Ealing contest - well, I did help with the baby sitting!

22 July

My 71st Birthday (so this blog should now be called "threescoreyearsandeleven"). We leave Amy and Rebecca resting whilst the rest of us (including Aunty Joanne) pop to the pub for lunch, with Joseph playing on its slide.

24 July

Ann and I go to the London School of Economics to an event organised for the "Iraq Commission". The Commission's Report had dominated my blogging in the run up to Amy's birth.

25 July

Back home from London, by train. Finish reading a book given to me as a birthday present - the second volume of Bryan Magee's great autobiography. As the two volumes that have been published so far total 710 pages and only cover Bryan's life up to 18, perhaps Amy had better start keeping a diary now!