Eliel

Eliel was born on the 2nd May 2010 when Anna was 39. He lives in a different world again from that of his mother or mine when we were young. Surrounded by over 100 dogs from the first moment, he learned to howl before he could talk and would sit and howl to the dogs outside at bathtime through the vents, waiting for the whole farm to respond. He could drive a snowmobile and quad bike, with help, by the time he was two, and unassisted, by the time he was three.

At four, like most of his generation, he was better at games on the computer and iPad than his mother but he couldn't read or write, unlike her at that age. So his interests, stimulation and environment are pretty different. Like her, however, he would walk up to any stranger and expect them to chat to him, and his naturally open, friendly charm wins most folks over pretty quickly.

Each year, one of my friends, writer Catherine Edmunds, has written a poem to celebrate that year of his life. These are shown here.