Matthew Revell

I’ve been told, for a long time now, that I’m an old man in a younger man’s body. I have come to accept that my love of slippers, a tamed tendency towards pomposity and general curmudgeonliness, do give that impression at times.

Today is my 29th birthday. I tell you this not to seek your well wishes but because this morning I unwrapped a hip-flask. This does not confirm my odd old-man-before-my-time nature. No, that comes from the fact that I actually wanted a hip-flask for my birthday.

Now, where do you use them without being labelled an alcoholic?

Alfred George Revell was born at 10.30 am today. We’ll call him Alfie.

Today, we went to the hospital for a 20 week scan.

In November, I’ll be a dad and, according to the sonographer, we’ll have a son.

Now’s the time to find a name that is distinctive but not freakish.