Silken fingers tickle my face as they fasten the blindfold behind my head, their animated whispers swelling and popping like bubbles.

“Hold still, Ma!”

Beside me, my sister, Emma, is giggling, receiving the same treatment. What are they up to, these great, great, great grandchildren of ours?

The excitement is contagious. “Gently now, or Auntie and I won’t make it past our two hundredth birthdays.”