You may have noticed that I am not long back from a short holiday in Portugal. While we were over there something happened that, whilst not unexpected, nevertheless came as a bit of a shock to me. My son, my prodigy, my progeny, my heir and my successor, Liam (for it is he) is now - officially - taller than me. Not only that, but he has bigger feet than me too. As I say, I have been expecting this for some time now; he grew taller than his mum about 18 months ago, and has just kept on growing ever since. And he's only 15, so he's still got a good few years of growing to go. As I look up at him, I remember the times I used to carry him up to bed, and when he needed to stand on a stool to reach the sink to brush his teeth. I suppose this happens to all parents: the children grow up, get stronger and more independent, and then they set out on their own course. That's as it should be, but it still takes a bit of getting used to seeing my 'wee boy' being bigger than me. Nevermind, as far as I'm concerned, he'll always be my wee boy (but don't tell him that).

Past years -- 2006, 2005 and 2004 respectively