Three Beautiful Things

1. The shallow sunny part of the pond is now alive alive alive with tadpoles -- so numerous and so wriggly that we can hear them. 2. Out of sight, a woodpecker knocks. 3. After supper, I go down to do the bins in the alley along the bottom of the row. I'm startled to a halt by reflected sunlight bounced by a window that I can't see on to a wall that is normally only lit briefly at sunrise.

1. We are not even 100m from an A-road and birdsong is the main sound -- chipping and cooing and trilling and chiffing and chaffing and the ratchetting call of the magpie. 2. Violets on a woodland bank, blinking in the harsh April sun. 3. We have eaten enough chocolate and now we are cheerfully tired of it.

1. There is a lot of playful April foolery on social media. Some of the brands and organisations seem to be reaching towards a better world where otters trained in water rescue support the emergency services; while others are just looking for chaos (the Macquarie comma and Aldi's law arm, Legaldi).  2. Nick brings me a bag of asparagus, even though no one else likes it. I have some spears, cooked briefly to a bright clear green, with my lunch. 3. Sitting up in bed, tablet between us, to watch NASA's rocket launch. The BBC commentator says it's taller than the Elizabeth Tower that holds Big Ben. That's hard to hold that in mind as Integrity dwindles to a dot in the blue sky.

1. Yes, this movement takes less effort than it did in December. I give up less often, and I'm intrigued by the harder versions. 2. The moon untangles itself from the clouds and presses its face to mine as I climb the hill. 3. As we step out of the door, I reflexively pull my coat around me against the cold -- but there's no need tonight. The air feels softer, and more joyful, carrying voices and the scents of flowering hedges.

1. The auto-till attendant is a nervous speaker -- but nonetheless helps me scan my reward card, which just won't work. She's a bit of a reward programme expert and gives me a useful tip-off. It's funny to see how when I relax to force myself into a more patient state, she relaxes too, and how when she's showing me on her own phone, she achieves fluency.  2. To pot up fresh new geranium plants for the front windowsill. 3. We're pulling treasures out of the freezer this week -- a bag of frozen mango to eat with our yoghurt.

1. We are all a bit resentful about the clocks changing -- but I happen to know that there are a couple of pain au chocolats in the freezer to sweeten the early breakfast deal. 2. Last skiing of the season. We get away just before the cold rain and walk out past banks tumbled with primroses and early bluebells. 3. Jabbing candles through the sugary crust of a lemon drizzle cake.