Let me start by saying that Noah has never seen a single five minute episode of “Thomas the Tank Engine”.

Never.

Not one DVD

and has never placed his hands on someone else’s models or tracks.

That is why I am amazed that he has told anyone who will listen (including his ride – in car ‘Rocket) that for his birthday he will be getting some “Thomas the Tankshun” trains and he will also be having a Thomas cake.

To back this unfamiliar and apparently out of the blue, idea up, yesterday he was perusing the bumper toy catalogue from Big W.

When he came to the pages with the Thomas merchandise he stopped and there he stayed for, oh, at least half an hour.

Half an hour in a toddler’s day is a long time, my friends.

He rattled (pardon the pun) on to me and the sick girl about all the different trains and the tracks and the helicopter. All of which I have absolutely no idea about.

I don’t know their names or what they are.

I am a mere mortal in the world of boy toys.

The only character I know in the whole outfit is The Fat Controller.

Heh, heh, what can I say?

I guess I  can relate.

Ahem…

Anyway, the trains…and the catalogue…

were poured over by the boy and he declared once again that those were his gift of choice for his third birthday, which is still five months away.

Soon he pottered off and I thought that I had heard the last of the “Tankshun” talk.

At morning naptime, I changed him and he was chortling on to me about how much better the Big Red Car was in comparison to the Big Red Boat when I spotted a crumpled piece of paper under his pillow.

I looked closer to discover that my sweet, Thomas obsessed, son had ripped the four pages of train  catalogue out of it’s cover and had placed his ‘precious’ securely with his bedding.

My gorgeous boy. He makes my heart so light.

Of course, we, as the parents of the obsessed will indulge him.

There’s just one thing…

I need the low down on Thomas and his friends.

Anyone got any information on the train?

Come on, spill it.

So I am not totally clueless, come November.