1. A mother sits at one end of a bench talking to her baby boy in his pushchair. He looks at the elderly lady in a green mac sitting at the other end of the bench. She smiles and smiles as if she's seen the love of her life.2. At the 'We buy your unwanted gold' stand in the mall, a young couple hands over an old ring. The valuer says: "That's nine carat." The husband has a days old baby (red and fast asleep) cradled on his shoulder. He looks pleased and proud.
3. I picked up a copy of Christopher Lloyd's What on Earth Happened? a few months ago because he's a local author. It has risen to the top of the pile of unread books now and I've discovered a bit of a treasure. It is a history of the entire universe from big bang to present day. I've only just reached early mammals, but it has firmed up my understanding of life on earth already. I love the descriptions of the drab primeval forests. It made me feel the way I felt reading those children's science books I had when I was small: as if the world was wonderful and that I could get my head around it. The hardback version has more detail, and I'm putting it on our wedding list.
