The boy can... skate

Despite my own diffidence and, let's face it, ineptitude, Ottawacker Jr. seems to have developed some ability on the ice.

Mrs Ottawacker has been taking him to his skating classes every week, but I thought it might be time to pretend that his father too had some interest in sitting in a freezing arena on a concrete step in the middle of a cold snap watching his development.

I do, of course, it's just that, in this case, the apple has fallen quite a distance from the tree - at least in terms of interest for winter sports. Winter sports for me, as a European, include soccer and rugby, plus anything that might draw me to the relative warmth of a pub. 

Still, that might be changing. There is no doubt that Ottawacker Jr. is demonstrating some enjoyment of the time on the ice. And he has dramatically improved. As my wife said, "he was steadier on his feet than you were after his first lesson... now, he can skate."

Sometimes, I wonder whether Mrs Ottawacker might have lost some of the adoration of our early years together.