In town, we stopped by a toy-shop to buy presents for the two birthdays that occur this week, Jo’s and Jo’s nephew, Alexander.

Freya found the plastic animals (of which she already has a small, but growing, collection) while we waited to pay, and, after some deliberation, she made an interesting choice of purchase.

Not the forty centimetre turtle, or the equally as long killer-whale; she did not bat an eyelid at the giraffe, and nonchalently ignored the array of farm animals. No, she went for something not all young children would immediately clammer for: two flies and a beetle. All of them, black. And small (though much bigger than the biggest fly I have ever seen). And, best of all, cheap.