1. Fenella cooked me shepherd's pie and huge quantities of vegetables and then we watched Dr Who. It was scary, involving physical trauma as plague, so I'm glad I didn't have to do it alone.
2. Borrowed Fenella's shower as the boiler is on the blink again - hot water for as long as I wanted. Bliss.
3. Curling up with Daddy-Long-Legs. It's the story of a orphan girl sent to college by an eccentric rich man so that she can learn to be a writer. She is told to write a letter to him once a month and to not expect a reply. The book, published in 1910, is her letters, liberally illustrated by her stick figures. As well as being rather romantic, it deals with (quite subtly) with social reform. Judy talks about orphanages, food colouring and women deserving the vote, eventually deciding that she is a Fabian. These issues are not preached, but offered in a way that would encourage a bright reader to look for more information. It would also encourage any girl to go to college by describing an enjoyable, fun and accepting education. Judy's determination to be independent is also a lesson for women everywhere, and although the twist ending is very comforting, I find it a bit of a cop-out.
