Julia's first pair of shoes

Getting your first pair of shoes is one of life’s little milestones – first tooth, first haircut, first steps.

Today, Margaret, Lucy and I took Julia to Clarks shoe shop in Queensgate to have her feet measured and to buy her first shoes.

Julia isn’t walking yet, but she will push a walker (doggy) along and I’m sure it will only be a few weeks before she is toddling.

Tom had a very busy few days – a trip to Manchester, a trip to Leicester and then an early start to film at a fruit farm in Suffolk. Julia and Lucy came to stay with us and Julia was in a very happy mood – no tears in the car, swinging her leg over the side of the buggy (just like her dad used to) and jabbering away.

She liked the look of Queensgate (the shopping centre) and the Clarks shop was a new experience. They were very kind and helpful. We’d made an appointment to have her feet measured and it was just as well because the shop was full of children getting new shoes for the start of the autumn school term.

I can remember having my feet measured when I was little and also taking my own children along. Now I’m taking my grandchildren – Clarks has done rather well out of me over the years!

It’s a little more high-tech these days: assistants carry little portable devices and tablets, but the result is still the same - 4G in Julia’s case.

She found the whole process very interesting; the shop was fascinating (she’d have loved to re-arrange the shoes on the display shelves) and didn’t at all mind trying on shoes. Lucy chose a nice dark pink pair and Julia seemed very proud to wear them.

Afterwards, we went to the John Lewis cafe for lunch and Julia shared my salmon sandwich and some of Margaret and Lucy’s sausage, mash and gravy – a strange combination, but one that went down very well.