A serious child, Emby did not crack a smile during her first swimming lesson, but she didn’t cry either. We were the first ‘starfish’ to arrive and to our delight the other two babes to join us were familiar neighbourhood faces.

Colourful balls and mats and a lovely instructor made her first underwater experience bearable, but her shocked expression on resurfacing was rather adorable. The only thing she really didn’t enjoy was riding on the noodle, maybe the indignity of it all weighed heavy on her shoulders. We returned today with a noodle of another colour and she really got into her kicking which she had been only desoltorily attempted the week before.

I don’t think it will be long until the pool, like the bath becomes a joy rather than a chore for little Ember Wren, especially if colourful kick boards are involved.