“Dob.”

“Cat.”

“Dob!”

“It a cat!”

“Dob! Dob! Dob!”

What had possessed her sister-in-law to give birth to children only twelve months apart? Vikki peered over two small shoulders to see the picture they were arguing about.

“Actually, that’s a tiger. It’s a very big kind of cat, even bigger than a dog.”

Three-year-old Briony looked triumphant, two-year-old Rose’s lip wobbled. “Want dob.”

Briony gave her best big sister knows sigh. “Mummy says no dog, we has to buy a garden first.”

“Garding!” Rose lit up, pointing out at Erin’s little patch of lawn and roses.

“Yes, that is a garden, but it’s my garden, not Mummy’s.” Something in their expressions made Erin look for a distraction, it had been a long day for two little ones, and of course they hadn’t really slept at nap time, tears and tantrums were a breath away.

“Why don’t we draw pictures of the gardens we’d like to play in?”

“Wib dob!”

“Absolutely with a dog in it.” Erin laid out the two drawing pads and kid-safe markers she’d bought especially and hoped it would keep them occupied for at least a few minutes.

Amazingly, with only three breaks for water, the loo, and a hastily-made-up story about a small dog named Jeremiah, the girls were still working on their garden pictures when their mother arrived.

Rose shook her drawing at her mother. “debemiya in garding!”

Leann looked confused, Erin smiled at her youngest niece. “And what’s Jeremiah doing in the garden?”

Bad question. Both girls started giggling, then chorused loudly. “Pooing!”