Hard to spell and even harder to say. Hardest of all to spend two hours there on a rainy evening with two tired parents and two tired boys. The boys, understandably, disapproved of the people putting drops in their eyes and shining bright lights into their pupils to examine the backs of their retinas.

Predictably, Daniel was stoic and Michael was furious. He pointed at the assistant who dispensed the drops and yelled “mechante lady”. During the actual examination with the bright light he yelled, shut his eyes and cried. Daniel just squeezed my hand as he lay down on the large leather couch. Poor Daniel, he is getting glasses and a patch for two hours a day. And a check-up in 6 weeks, doubtless involving more drops. Michael is to come back in 6 months to have a pale optic nerve inspected further. I really hope that the meek inherit the earth because other advantages seem to be pretty much non-existent.

When we got home, someone had parked in front of the garage so we had to ferry the boys in, across the road in the rain. On arrival, however, things improved. The Princess was in great form having had a day of indulgence from the royal grandparents who are nobly pitching in to help us out over mid-term. They also had dinner ready for us…and it was still hot.

Also, this is funny:

Russian president Vladimir Putin has suggested setting up a Russian-funded institute in Brussels or another European capital to keep an eye on human rights issues in Europe.