I remember her first diary; I gave it to her for her seventh birthday present. She was sitting at the table, still in Josh’s camouflage dressing gown when she opened it. She wanted to start immediately. She wrote down: Got up washed my face brushed my teeth and then she looked at me and said, ‘Aren’t diaries a bit boring?’ So we talked about how to make it interesting, so that one day she could look back and actually enjoy reading it. She suggested she could write down some things that were going on in the world. I said that was a great idea. I said she could just write down moments, maybe ‘the best moment of the day’ if she liked, rather than what she did every minute. From that day she has kept a diary religiously. ‘I’m always going to tell the truth,’ she said, and I agreed that the truth was vital in a diary. Polly started one as well, of course – Ness bought her it – although they were never ever allowed to look at each other’s. Instead they would spend hours reading out agreed random dates – which was crazy really, seeing as they lived in each other’s pockets and every moment was spent together anyway; just like their mothers. Annie now keeps her diary in a locked box, so how the Weasel got it I don’t know.

I used to be a stickler for privacy. Not any more.

I pick it up and randomly start flicking through it. Various pages are stuck together, sticky candy-smudged fingers. She has actually stuck in candy wrappers in case she should ever forget her favourite candy: Toxic Waste, Millions, Chocolate Oreo, Maoam, Fangtastic. Some of the days have both headings and dates. I smile. Annie has always had a grand sense of occasion. April 7 How the Ipad really broke. March 1 Alarm Bells. I glance down the page – she and Polly seem to have gone to a shop on the high street and set all the alarm clocks to go off at once. March 21 The real reason Josh broke his nose. She’s a good little writer; I feel a familiar swell of pride in my gut.

I take the diary over to the window and sit down, settling myself in for a proper read. I open it randomly on Feb 1 The lost swimming costume.

Mum is v v v cross. She says I have no respect for property.

The true story is we were coming back from swimming doing the short cut when Polly says DID you know that EVERYTHING in the universe bounces? I said no it doesnt and she said yes it does (she is such a knowall). I said not elephants. Elephants DONT BOUNCE. She says yes they do. I say not HOUSES. Houses dont bounce. She says yes they do. There is no POINT in argewing with Polly.