Signature, victory and shut out the light.

1. I open a book that was a birthday present and find that the author has signed it, addressing it to me.

2. He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named waves his damp sock in my face, so I throw it out of the window.

3. Closing the blinds at the end of a working day.

Take that, cucumber carving and walking home.

1. Oli has written a song celebrating Charlotte's policemen boyfriend -- it would be the theme tune to the TV series about him; and he's doing another one for me called He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named don't like my shoes (but I don't care) (except that it's got HWSNBN's real name in there, but I'm not allowed to mention it. He says he didn't say he didn't like my shoes, but that's just because he's cross that Oli is writing a song.

2. A crab carved out of a cucumber with antennae made of chilli pepper tips.

3. An umbrella to shelter under, an arm to hold and a light shower of rain.

Here today..., thieves and seeds.

1. Recently a tea urn appeared in our kitchen to 'save time'. It dispensed not quite boiling water via a spout that was too low for our coffee pot. The kettle was removed. 24 hours later, the urn broke down and the kettle reappeared, much to everyone's relief.

2. Ed spots some chavs dipping their hands into people's cars in the car park. We ask them if we can help and they shout bad words at us and drive off while we smile and wave at them and take their number plates. They haven't stolen anything, but the police are very pleased to hear from us all the same. A good bit of excitment for a hot Friday afternoon.

3. Seed fluff floating around and catching the light.

Divine retribution, gods of shopping and aubergines.

1. As we pull out of Oli's drive to turn right, a speeding BMW forces Oli to brake suddenly. We pull out after him -- just in time to see the speed camera flash. We feel good. We feel better when we crest the hill and see him stuck behind a slow bus. He overtakes (dangerously) only to find himself crawling up the hill behind a truck carrying gas cylinders. We pootle along behind him all the way to work. I make faces for him to see in his rear view mirror, and Oli makes lewd speculations about how he likes someone being right up his bum for a change.

2. The miraculous finding of a bag that picks up all the colours (pink, coral, oyster, midnight blue and powder blue) in my new dress. The bag was in a different shop, and (so the counter lady told me) is by a designer not known for her us of bold colours. It was also the last one out.

4. The smell of a moussaka bubbling in the oven.

Cherries, social niceties and wrestling.

1. Stopping to buy a bag of Kent cherries on the way home from work.

2. A girl we used to know quite well walks into the courtyard where we are enjoying an evening drink. We wave at her and say hi. She holds up one finger and then walks off, returning shortly with her friends. They sit down on the other side of the garden. We can see her watching us, but she doesn't come over or wave or even smile. I can't say I specially like being 'cut' like this... but the righteous indignation of 'Well! What on earth is her problem?' is rather satisfying; and then we made ourselves feel even better by forgiving her with: 'maybe she didn't have her glasses on. Or she could have been really drunk.'

3. If I was Lou, my beautiful thing would be the sight of me trying to put a duvet cover on sideways after a few too many glasses of wine.

No money, lunch stop and moving as one.

1. Antique and craft-fairs that charge entrance irritate me -- I'm sure the organisers don't just do it for greed, but it's cross-making to discover that you've paid 50p to walk round a room full of old-people smelling tat. Today I sneak into a fair behind the money-collecting lady's back. There is nothing I want among the seaside souvenirs, flaky costume jewellery and postcards of Wales, which is disappointing; but I leave feeling curiously pleased with myself because I haven't paid to find this out.

2. My family is rubbish at stopping for meals when travelling. We can't agree where to go and end up circling a town until everywhere stops serving food; or someone will say: 'I don't care. Let's just go on.' Or we end up in a motorway service station with everyone looking like thunder. It's always a huge relief when we do stop somewhere.

3. I have been watching The Blue Planet -- it's a series of programmes by the BBC about life in the ocean. I love watching schools of fish -- the way vast numbers manage to move as one is magical.

Where I left it, unequal struggle, click, and Spanish.

1. Gareth says: ‘I left my passport in the computer place. When I went back an hour later it was still there.’

2. Watching the other truck trying to put their kitchen tarp up in the rain after they had drunk a punch made of two bottles of vodka, one bottle of Sprite and two tins of fruit salad.

3. We watched some cultural dancers. They sung the Namibian national anthem for us and they were wearing skirts made of bamboo beads threaded on to strings. There were bottle tops among the bamboo and it made a lovely clicky noise as they danced.

4. Kevin liked hearing Spanish speakers in the other group at the campsite. ‘I used to have lots of Spanish friends. I find it a very nice language.’

Rundu, Namibia

Care, dang and des res.

1. Rosey is ill and everyone has asked very tenderly after her.

2. Rosey has her camera trained on a German couple in the Ngorongoro crater picnic site. She is hoping that, since they have been foolish enough to sit outside with their lunch, they will have their sandwiches stolen by a kite. Sadly when it happens she misses the shot.

3. Bright yellow weaver birds building nests in the reeds over the crocodile pool at the Snake Park.

Ngorongoro to Arusha, Tanzania

Potting, shorter nights and horizon.

1. Those really satisfying shots at pool -- the one where you hit the white most carefully and it just tucks your ball into the pocket; or the one where you give it a good wallop and it smacks the ball you were aiming for right where you wanted it; or best of all, the one that you don't expect to do anything, but then, just as your oponent is about to take his turn, a ball hit on the rebound falls into a pocket.

2. Coming out of work and discovering that it's still -- only just -- light.

3. When the sunset is pink and the clouds are dark and raggy.

Tables turned, something for nothing and romance.

1. Last winter in the old office, I spent the entire time shivering, partly because Ed would find it too hot and switch the heating off. This year, for some reason to do with weird heating physics, Ed is constantly cold (despite his seat next to the heater) and I am just right. Which is very satisfying.

2. Just before I was about to go home, a user rang in with a problem that I didn't understand. I told him I would look into it and call him back. In the morning I looked again at his question and realised there was no problem at all. So I got the benefit of pleasing a user without doing much work.

3. Watched a few episodes of Futurama. I like the episode where Fry -- in a few hours of uncharacteristic romantic eptness -- moves stars to write a love note across the sky.

Being fed, girls and slightly concerning.

1. Not only did Fenella cook supper for me, she also plied me with caramel shortbread made by Andy's parents. Mmmmm sticky.

2. I like knitting while chatting about comfortable, girly things.

3. As I left, Andy announced that he had finished his computer game, Doom. 'Well done. So everyone's dead now?' 'Only the bad people. I'm like Father Christmas.' Hmmm.

Low cloud, less travel and social conscience.

1. A damp mist has fallen over town, which is not usual in summer. It is curious to see trees in full leaf but veiled and indistinct with their tops disappearing into the whiteness.

2. Tesco for labelling their frozen peas as British. Well done for helping us keep an eye on our food miles. Hope you'll think about adding a county soon - or better still, the name of the farm.

3. Fenella and Andy for standing up to a man-pig caught trying to turn our block of flats into a pissoir.

Two dogs, ooops and eggses

1. A pair of immaculate Rhodesian ridgebacks that I see coming down off the Common on my way to work.

2. A woman in very clicky shoes walks too close behind me. I speed up, hoping to lose her but she speeds up, too. I slow down, hoping she'll overtake but she doesn't. Then I hear her stumble a little. Hah.

3. The shine on a properly tempered chocolate egg. Specially when you have decorated and moulded it yourself.

Drops, might have been snow and crush.

1. Pearls. They always seem so erotic and yet so innocent.

2. The block opposite me has a balustrade round the roof. A filthy
balustrade. I woke up to see that a painter had started work on it
and it looked as if snow had fallen.

3. Was watching the street instead of writing and saw a chap I used
to adore achingly and wordlessly from a distance. He has pudged up
and the cheekbones I used to so admire are no longer on show. And he
was walking hand-in-hand with a sour-looking... yeah, I'm almost sure
it was a woman.

Crash, comfort food amd domestic science.

1. A skater fell off his board and landed in a nettle patch. I was far enough away that I could smirk in safety.

2. Green and Black's cherry chocolate.

3. My apron. Katie made it from curtain material off-cuts. When I wash up last thing it stops me soaking my night dress. It also gives me somewhere to wipe my hands and it has a useful pocket in which to lose the corkscrew.