Frunty must have an atomic clock ticking down the minutes from his previous birthday because shortly after midnight, in a delirious state, he was at the side of my bed shaking me awake telling me it was "morning time" which equates to "gift-opening time". I sent him away and there was much crying in the darkness.... He explained later that he thought it was morning time because he saw the pink light of dawn outside his window, but I suppose it was the orange tinge of the street lamps that confused him.

At 7:30am, he reminded me that he should hunt for his presents by following a string laid out throughout the flat, just like his nonna did for him on a previous occasion. So, he and Pit waited patiently while The Mommy and I, bleary-eyed and half-asleep, strung 30 or more meters of red cord. Finally, he calmly followed his treasure hunt of string and presents, careful to rewind it in a new spool. He was excited to get his new Pokémon and Littlest Pet Shop toys and thanked all the various gift givers. But there was more, because we were going on a surprise adventure and needed picnic supplies. So The Mommy took Pit to GB and I took Frunty to the butcher for sausages and ham.

With the picnic ready, we went off to Waterloo to go back 194 years in history when Napoleon had his last stand almost on this very day. The Battle of Waterloo is re-enacted by hundreds of hobbyists and actors each year, visit their official website here. We visited the bivouacs and headquarters of Napoleon and saw the troops getting ready for tomorrows big battle. It was interesting to see their camps and their preparations but with smatterings of rain, a chill wind, and a set of new toys at home, the boys were more eager to get home and play than to march around the fields. Nonetheless, they were troopers and we stayed for several hours before going home to Frunty’s birthday dinner request of sausages and polenta.

Bedtime was relatively easy because everyone is a little sick with sore throats, coughs and sniffles, not to mention poor night time sleeps. Despite this being Frunty’s birthday, he doesn’t only think of himself because he gave favourite blankie for The Mommy because she’s sick.