Three Beautiful Things

1. I like to brush my hair (counting 100 strokes) to put a shine on it. 2. Watching over and over again in joyful news reports ball striking the stumps and sending the bails flying. 3. We leave the washing up because we have to do a few things ( walk around the park , and bring in the washing) before it gets dark.

1. At the V&A's baroque exhibition , we can put our faces close to a ewer decorated with putti. Two of them are fighting: one has the other by the chin and is trying to push him back down into the sea. 2. The paddling pool in the V&A courtyard is full of children, damp-around-the-edges. Japanese women try to get in shot with a tiny and determined person dressed head-to-knee in a bottle green sun suit. 3. On the train, we see clouds piling up behind us. After we get home, Twitter and Facebook come alive with snippets about the sudden and torrential rain in London.

1. We came across this story and picture of a rescued dormouse dozing on a rose. Katie-at-work said she thought it was awful that they took advantage of a wild animal like that. I said: 'Well you're going to hate the pictures of it dressed in a tiny clown suit, then.' And then she didn't believe anything I told her for the rest of the day -- including that a pack of wild dogs was loose in Canterbury . 2. Going through my art portfolio and seeing that some of the drawings I did in the early days are not that bad -- almost likeable, even. Our teacher explains that because of the time gap, I'm able to step away from them and judge them dispassionately without ideas about what I think I can and can't do getting in the way. 3. Snow flakes kiss down on to my umbrella.

Writers, editors and editrixes of the newspaper world might be interested in Subbed . 1. On my way to work, the smoky static air fills with falling dots and fluffs and feathers. 2. In the dark part of the afternoon, a leftover box of Christmas chocolates is pulled from a desk draw and passed around. 3. The story of two small German children who were caught waiting for a train to the airport. They explained to amused police that they were running away to Africa to get married. They'd even thought to take the bride's sister along as a witness. Why Africa? The would-be groom, six-year old Mika explained "We wanted to unpack the summer things and then we wanted to go for a bit of a stroll in the sun." I know the feeling, mate.

You can see the birthday picture on my Flickr account . Thanks again to everyone who contributed. There is a new post up at 12 Old Masters . BT Bear has a short video and some photos of the Tour de France going through Tonbridge. 1. Gooey Nutella on soft, sweet brioche. 2. The work hot water bottle. And Ellie giving me a handful of painkillers. 3. The Mother has bought strawberries for supper. They are larger than Victoria plums and far too big to eat in one go. She cuts them up so we can get them in our mouths, apart from the two biggest, which she puts on a saucer on Daddy's table mat so he can see them as soon as he gets in from work.