It’s an unseasonably mild evening in late September as Robert Bateman arrives at Oaktree Farm with his wife Mary and their daughter Charlotte.

He was there earlier to work, but this is a rare social visit to mark a special occasion.

His boss, Simon Roth, has just become a father and his wife Amanda has returned home from hospital with the baby.

‘Come over and see them this evening,’ he said to Robert just before he left the farm to go and pick them up. ‘Our girls can meet for the first time and we can drink to their futures.’

Charlotte is already almost a month old and the Roths’ daughter, who they’ve named Megan, was born only four days ago. The two families live just six miles apart and it’s already been decided that the children will be encouraged to be playmates from an early age.

Simon is there to greet them as the jeep pulls to a halt in front of the house. He’s wearing a smile as wide as his face and is clearly excited about showing them his offspring.

Robert steps out of the jeep first and then heaves the carrycot from the back seat.

‘I’m so glad you were able to make it,’ Simon tells them before pecking Mary on the cheek. ‘Amanda is really looking forward to seeing you both.’

Baby Megan turns out to be as cute as both Robert and Mary knew she would be. She’s still wrinkled and squashed but she already has a healthy set of lungs, and when she cries, she wakes Charlotte from her slumber.

The men share a bottle of champagne and after a while they get bored with baby talk and resort to discussing plans for the farm.

The women stick to soft drinks and share their pregnancy experiences and their concerns about bringing up a child.

Simon hears Amanda tell Mary that she’s already finding it harder than she expected and he reacts sharply, saying to his wife, ‘Oh for heaven’s sake don’t be so bloody pathetic. How hard can it be to look after someone that small?’

‘Well, you’ll find out soon enough when it’s your turn to take care of her,’ Amanda snaps back.

The couple have a somewhat tetchy relationship and Robert in particular is used to seeing them bicker and hearing Simon being critical of his wife. But thankfully, on this occasion, they choose not to carry it on and the rest of the evening proves to be a delight.

‘Take tomorrow morning off,’ Simon tells Robert when he and Mary decide to leave just after ten. ‘There are various jobs that need doing but they can wait until the afternoon.’

They all agree that they should make meeting up in the evening and at weekends a regular event.

They wave goodnight to each other, not knowing that this is the last time they will all be together.