I'm very proud of my brave girl - and grateful to Freddie Mercury

In the scheme of things, the very minor surgical procedure Anna underwent this morning isn't a great drama. Or even a small drama. For a child who's been lucky enough never to require much in the way of medical treatment, it was a very new experience, though. Especially when her mother is a State Registered Coward.

We pitched up at the hospital at the appointed time, Anna listening to Queen on her iPod and me faking serenity.

She had to have a local anaesthetic which, she told me afterwards, was very sore, but which she endured without making any fuss at all. The staff said she'd coped a lot better than most grown men. She did it by reciting the words of Bohemian Rhapsody as a distraction. "Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the fandango?" is always good to hear, whatever the circumstances. It's yet another reason to be grateful to one of my favourite bands of all time.

Anna took a liking to Queen a year or so ago, but recently she's seriously listening to a lot of their work - even stuff I don't know. She was delighted yesterday when our tickets to We Will Rock You at the Edinburgh Playhouse arrived.

So, we then came home and watched The Five Doctors. It looks like her Classic Who orbit is centring around Pertwee and Baker. I love that episode - the evilness of the Master, Tegan and the First Doctor, Cybermen, Daleks, the Brigadier and Bessie. On the other hand, I'm so glad that Russell T got his hands on Sarah Jane - she is proper annoying in that one.

Now Anna has a friend in and they are using Facebook Chat to summon me whenever they require anything.

My sister helpfully reminded Anna via Facebook that today was the day to ask for presents, and she should consider her choices carefully. I'll return that favour with her four children some other year, close to Christmas, shall I?

I may not be around much over the next couple of days. I'm not going to let the opportunity of a rare midweek lie in pass me by and I suspect we'll watch some more Doctor Who. I want to steer her on to a bit of McCoy. Haven't seen Battlefield in years - and the Brigadier's in that, too.

She won't be back at school till at least Thursday afternoon, so I'm going to treasure some quiet time with her.