Although the big day is next Tuesday, Toby had his sixth birthday party yesterday.

At his own request, we hired out the local sports centre so that he and his mates could hoon around on a bouncy castle, soft play and then have lunch and the all-important cake while the parents huddled around in the freezing cold sports hall extracting every last iota of warmth from overpriced teas and coffees.

Nonetheless the birthday boy had a whale of a time – Toby delights in simple pleasures such as jumping around like an Olympic trampolinist and scoffing supermarket chocolate tray bakes – and that’s all that really matters, right?

I took this picture standing over him as he was cheerfully spelling out ‘happy birthday’ with his blown-out candles. Smiling and literate, what more could you ask from a nearly six-year-old?

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