Jake and Rafia have returned from their holiday to New Zealand with a funny story.

While at a Maori evening, J, R and their kids were asked to sing a song.

They had just been entertained by the native New Zealanders with an exuberant performance steeped in ancient beliefs and rituals.

Now they were being asked to reciprocate.

No doubt the audience was expecting to hear God Save The Queen, Land Of Hope And Glory, All You Need Is Love or something else suitably British.

Jake and Rafia are out-going sorts. They are marvellous hosts, they are great organisers and they are always up for adventures.

But their bravado does not, seemingly, extend to stage performances.

However, they didn't want to let the side down so they pondered a while before coming up with the perfect solution.

They put forward their fearless toddler, Rosie, announcing that she would sing that well-known classic Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

So Rosie, with a little prompting here and there from Rafia, flew the cultural flag for England with one of the land's favourite nursery rhymes - and received a standing ovation.

"It is the song for EVERY occasion," said Rafia, reminding us that this was also the music they chose for the back garden burial ceremony of their pet cat three months ago.

The whole family had stood around a shoebox containing the sad remains of old Zeus and had bid him a final farewell before committing him to a hole in the ground with a gentle rendition of the Top-of-the-Tots tune under an appropriately starry sky.

Jake's father was, apparently, so overcome with emotion that he had to step away so that the children wouldn't hear him laugh.

"Of course, you inspired us," continued Rafia.

"If Eve hadn't sung Twinkle, Twinkle at that talent show last year, it may not have occurred to us to use it again . . . and again . . . "

"Ah yes," I said, proudly remembering our daughter's stunning stage debut at a street party for the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

I wrote about it at the time but it's worth recapping that Eve, who was only just four at the time, readily volunteered to sing TTLS to a crowd of 200.

Quite why she chose this one I don't know. She actually had a vast repertoire of nursery rhymes as well as a few contemporary songs.

She had just learned the chorus of S Club 7's Reach For The Stars, which might have got the party swinging. But there was obviously something about TTLS that indicated it needed to be her signature tune.

Anyway, she went down a storm - or so I hear. It was most unfortunate that her new baby brother, Max, began a growth spurt just as the sound checks were being made and I had to disappear off to feed him.

When I returned 15 minutes later, the contest was over and Eve had been given a lolly and a colouring book and was signing autographs.

"Actually, she still gets requests to sing it," I said. "She's not doing the big venues any more but she's more than happy to give us a few bars whenever Max's nappy needs changing. It's the only song that calms him down."

It is, as Rafia says, a song for every occasion. Why not tell me your Twinkle, Twinkle story?