I tell you something embarrassing. My 2 year old daughter is currently far more on the ball than I am.

Although I put that down to the fact that she keeps me awake all night. I'm SO TIRED!

Today, I was in a huge panic as I couldn't find my house keys. I searched all the usual places, I went out and looked in the car, I checked my pockets. Then I started to Worry ... had they fallen out of my handbag....?

Caitlin, who had been watching Fifi and the Flowertots on TV (her favourite), came through to find me.

"What's the matter?" she asked, seeing me look upset.
"Mummy's lost her keys!" I confessed.
She trotted straight to the radiator in the hall, where I'd dumped my keys on the way in.
"Here they are, Mummy!" she smiled up at my, handing them over, "Don't worry, I've found your keys!"

I had a similarly disconcerting moment when after rushing from work, still stressed and very tired to pick her up from nursery, I walked her to the wrong car in the carpark without noticing. She kept saying, "No, Mummy! This isn't our car!"

"Yes, it is, silly," says Mummy, assuming that she is the one in control of life.

"No, it's not! Our car is over there!"

And when I got to the car I was pulling her along to, I realised to my horror that she was right! Oh dear . . .

Something else disconcerting is the family relationships going on with the toys in the cot at the moment. It seems the Jane the ragdoll is actually the daughter of Mrs Mouse, whilst Mrs Dear (an elderly teddy in a dress who used to be mine), is Jane's "Nana". Caitlin loves playing happy families, but I was a little alarmed to be informed that I am Denny the Duck's Mummy!

"This is your baby," she told me seriously, holding up Denny the Duck, "Rock him to sleep and feed him!"

(mind you, at one point this week, she told me that I was her baby and she would sing me a lullaby).

Meanwhile, work has been very busy and exciting this week. We had an advert in the Mail for our QE2 tribute covers on the day that she retired. The phones went mad! So I've spent a bit of time helping the customer service team this week.

I've also been preparing for this dreaded collectors' show in Peterborough next weekend. I shouldn't say "dreaded" only Tom and I will be manning a rather massive stall with Caitlin there too! Eeck. Mind you, Mum and Dad (aka Tony and Cath) will be around and will help.

I'm meeting with Kent Wildlife Trust next week about possibly working with them in 2009 (fingers crossed) and today, I'm meeting the organiser of Dover 2009 to talk about the Bleriot celebrations I mentioned last week. My Ivor project is coming along nicely too and our cover will hopefully star Idris the Dragon!

Until next time,

Ellie x

P.S. I'll be putting images of our Mini 50th anniversary covers online tomorrow, hopefully. It's going to be huge!