HAMMY the hamster (for that is his name) has settled into his new routine of food, sleep, run on a wheel, sleep a bit more, eat a bit of broccoli and then sleep again. I'm beginning to wonder if he might actually be a dormouse.

Son was so excited with his present that he said over and over again "I can't believe how lucky I am". We are hopeful that now son has Hammy to emulate, he too might get a taste for broccoli and sleeping. Have yet to find a hamster wheel big enough for him.

Swimming party the next day is a great success. Send eight happy children home - they might all be wearing the wrong socks but they're exhausted and will sleep well tonight, so I know their parents will thank me for that.

Flushed with birthday success it is time for adults to let off some steam and we make our way to The Vaults.

This is a first visit to The Vaults for me and I'm not disappointed with what I find.

It's a hidden gem of a place - a veritable cavern. This is the sort of venue where the Beatles, if they had come from Cirencester, would have played their first gig.

Tonight we have come to cheer on our friend's band The Abstracts who know how to make a crowd dance.

And dance we do. The only downside is that everyone else is taller than I am and I have to dash outside every now and then to get some air.

It has taken five years but I feel that I've been let into a secret club only open to those in the know.

Now if only my friend's band could be persuaded to play there every week, this town would really start to rock.