Well, we’re back, somewhere beyond tired (and filled, in my case, with a curious sense of foreboding, much more appropriate to November than August). The weather was kind, in this most dreadful of summers, but they weren’t the world’s most successful Games.

The weekend started badly for us when Thomas-the-Elder, late at night, driving from London towards Drummond Place with his girlfriend Anna to spend the night there before proceeding northwards, was rammed from behind on the outskirts of Edinburgh by a Post Office van. They are both all right, but badly shaken, and the car is a write-off. Rachel and Ed drove to Edinburgh to fetch them on Saturday morning, and they were pale but composed at the Games.

Achievement-wise, the dinosaur sweater was fourth in a field of four. The winners were all sweaters with a single large motif on the front. I thought all along that that’s what the phrase “sweater with motif” would be taken to mean, but I wanted to re-knit the dinosaurs. It fits Thomas-the-Younger to perfection.

None of my vegetable entries achieved anything, either.

But Helen’s son Fergus got a First for “paper plate face” and her son Mungo for “decorated Wellington boot”, so family honour was considerably retrieved.

Joe – the one who covered himself with glory at A-Level and is about to go to Nottingham University – ran in several races without result.

The Games always end with Musical Cars. People drive around the ring while the music plays, and when it stops the passenger leaps out and runs to the center of the ring and tries to grab a stake with a flag attached. It was obvious from the start that this year’s winner would be travelling in one of the three Land Rovers entered. Joe tried this as well, with Helen driving. He saw one of the Land Rovers off, and finished third, a very creditable result.

And everybody had enough to eat – in fact, my picnic fed a dozen people the next day for lunch as well.

More will follow, probably. Meanwhile, I’ve got to get to work designing a swallowtail coat for a teddy bear.