Three Beautiful Things

1. Mackerel sky. 2. Having plans for the weekend. 3. A naughty thrush swaggering about as if he owns the street corner.

1. Coming out into cool evening air from a flat full of cooking 2. The orange fur on the back of a rabbit's neck. 3. The smell of lime trees in bloom. The scent appears and disappears from pace to pace. At first, I thought I must have imagined it. Owing to popular demand, I would like to make special mention of the new picture in Fenella's hallway. A gift from her gentleman friend, Andrew, it shows four strawberries tastefully arranged in the form of affectionate dogs.

1. At 9.30am I got a call from Fenella inquiring about lunch. At 10.30am I got a call from Rob wondering if I wanted breakfast at the cafe in Calverley Rec. At 1pm I got a call from Caroline asking about tea in the park. And when I finally got a moment to myself at 8pm, Cat called from Germany wanting to know if now was a good time to chat. I did them all, and didn't feel in the slightest bit guilty about not spending the day writing. 2. Long, warm afternoons lying on a rug in the Grove with a bottle of wine. 3. Getting into bed on Sunday night. I look around the flat, which is tidy and as clean as it ever is and feel ready to face the week ahead.

1. Reading A Hatful of Sky by Terry Pratchett and enjoying it hugely. It's about a young girl learning to be a witch. He is quite hard on the occult jewellery brigade. I have been reading his books since I was 13, and I love the way he has improved. I reckon one or two of his books will turn out to be classics. 2. I walked to Linda's along Pembury Road. This is one of the main roads out of Tunbridge Wells and normally when I travel it, I'm being driven. Because I was walking, I noticed all sorts of things - a house called 'The Walled Garden' and a couple of artists' houses with 'open studio' signs. I decided that I would investigate these as soon as possible. 3. Andy made me a staff. The storms this week blew down half a white maple in his front garden, and he said that one of the branches was just my size. It's very plain - marked with a sign for fire, and OGMA and BRIDGET written in ogham script. The pale wood seems to glow at dusk. Andy said that...

1. I walked into work a different way so I could pick up some breakfast. It meant I could walk in the sunshine, and I noticed another sunflower relief - this time high up on Hooper's, the department store at the top of the high street. 2. The Rose and Crown is an old man's pub. They do a special lunch for £3.95(!) Mine included what was described as 'mash' and turned out to be new potatoes slightly crushed and still in their skins with spring onions and olive oil. I didn't want the plate to end. 3. Estelle explained how she deals with aggressive drivers. She blows kisses at them. It helps that she's got a bit of a Marilyn Munroe thing going.

1. I noticed a brickwork relief of sunflowers on the first floor of a furniture shop down the road. I pass it almost every day but I'd never spotted it before. 2. A skyful of fluffy white clouds. I wonder why it's such a satisfying sight? 3. Joyce and her daughter Amy dropped by for a cup of tea at half past eight. I love living in a flat that people are always 'just passing'.

1. The yellow lilies in my bouquet are starting to open. There are still some closed, so I expect they will keep appearing for days. 2. Learning a yoga stretch that makes my spine click much more efficiently than the one I've been doing. 3. Gossiping with Paul V about his Glastonbury plans. I am almost as excited as he is - and I don't have to worry about the rain and the mud.