I don't know what your views are on watching TV at breakfast time. At Blacksmith's Yard we have mixed views. I prefer ‘Rise' on channel 4, Ben wants to watch the children's programmes and Julie doesn't want to watch TV at all. How is this dilemma resolved?

Ben employs the ‘He who dares wins, Rodney' principle (lovers of the Trotters will understand). The routine is that we have an early morning cup of fruit tea in the downstairs lounge where the main TV is kept. Ben somehow manages to wake up whilst I am in the shower and put children's TV on. Round 1 to him.

When tea has been drunk we move upstairs to the kitchen area for breakfast. With this move timing is everything. Ben watches until I start to make a move towards the stairs. To get upstairs first, unchallenged (which you can do by going through 2 different rooms), would not be playing the game. Timing is everything. So we race each other up the stairs to get to the TV controls first. Sorry, I should have mentioned that there is a portable wall mounted TV in the kitchen dining area. Now unless I take

advantage of my superior build (or should it be bulk) Ben will win this race and children's TV will be put on upstairs as well. Round 2 to Ben.

Now I can tolerate the Chuckle Brothers (I think that this must be essential viewing for the Marlpit contributor at “Atlantic View”) but ‘Looney Tunes' or Noddy at 7.15am is too much.

Go back downstairs and watch ‘Rise'? No chance, Ben's thought of that one, Noddy is on and the remote control has been hidden (with our TV system manual channel change is not an option . . . or at least not an option that I can work out).

Julie, who doesn't want the TV on anyway, says ‘if you can't agree then it should (or is that ‘will') be turned off'.

The current solution is timed 10 minute viewing slots. The timer on the cooker is put on for 10 minutes and when it ‘beeps' you switch over and re-set the timer. Since Ben sets the timer you have to make sure that his slot is only 10 minutes and mine is at least 10 minutes, otherwise there are endless debates as to whether that was really 10 minutes.

Am I master in my own home? No chance.

Stop Press: Ben has been elected by his class, along with Tess his classmate, to represent Class 2 on the School Council. What is the School Council and what does it do? I don't know, I will find out and let you know.

MD