Three Beautiful Things

1. Fishfinger sandwiches. You need three or four fishfingers (make sure they aren't cod to preserve our stocks - public service announcement ends) and some really fresh bread. And some butter and some tomato sauce. Grill the fishfingers until they are cruncy, butter the bread and spread one slice with tomato sauce. Add the fishfingers and sandwich together. Bliss. 2. Fenella's black forest cherry cake. Mmm-mmm. It is impossible to eat in a civilised manner because the cherry-juice swirled cream goes everywhere. And she gave me a slice to put in my lunch box. 3. I found this resonant quote from Brenda Ueland about the act of writing on The Write Coach website. I learned that you should feel when writing not like Lord Byron, on a mountain top, but like child stringing beads in kindergarten - happy, absorbed and quietly putting one bead on after another.

1. All I wanted was bread and milk. I couldn't face stressing round the supermarket on a Saturday so I raced down the hill to the farmshop. They had one bottle of milk left. 2. Jay telling me that my little press release about his mind, body and spirit fair has been popping up all over the place. 3. We gathered at Laura and Andy's to paint masks. It was a good evening of paint and mess. The masks are papier mache moulded on balloons. The varied designs were amazing - trees, a dragon, a snowy owl, a firey creature, an alien with a lascivious mouth, a dangerous mole and a silver and black Janus. The workshop was an idea I'd had early this winter, so it was good to see it happening at last. I was impressed by everyone's willingness to join in - I get a real kick out of encouraging people to

1. Kingdom of Loathing . Adventure game. A limited on the number of plays each day makes it hard to play for so long that you go blind. Plus it's funny. 2. Being asked out to dinner just as you are opening the fridge to start cooking. 3. Leaving your phone at home.

1. The blue and white mug that He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named gave me for Christmas and which I use for my work tea. It's so much nicer than the communal mugs which are scummed with brown rings. And one of them has a picture of a Scotsman's bottom on it. 2. Receiving praise for the way I have conducted my love life. For once. 3. When decorative men come up to enquire whether or not PaulV is homosexual.

1. When your bed is exactly the right warmness. 2. The sunsets at this time of year are fantastic. Lower sky the colour of smoked salmon with raggy slate grey clouds slowly transforming into indigo via an almost-green on the way. 3. Collecting the girls together to help with a task that occupies your hands and leaves your mind free. I imagine this is what the quilting bees in Katy and Anne of Green Gables must have been like. The task - making blank papier mache masks for a workshop - would have been exhausting, stressful and dull if I'd done it alone. With Lou and Nicky there to gossip to it flew by, and before I knew it there were 12 balloon heads hanging up to dry and it was 10pm.

More loveliness from guest 3BTer Katie. 1. Remembering where the hell to put a battery backed write cache enabler in a Proliant DL380 G3. 2. Finding two perfect lamps in the Oka sale with 60% off. 3. Knowing that there is half a bottle of white wine in the fridge, but wanting to enjoy it quietly alone, when the boyfriend calls to say he will be out seeing a friend tonight. Perfect.

1. Snow that whirls down in huge fat flakes. 2. I bought myself an embroidery ring. It was a lot cheaper than I expected - just £1.75. It keeps the fabric flat so I don't have to keep shifting it round to keep shadows off the spot I am working on. The thread also makes a satisfying raspy noise as it goes through the holes. And it makes it look as if I really am doing embroidery and not just boring mending. 3. James calls with a list of films we might see: '...And Ben suggested Meet the ... I can't even say that word,' he tails off coyly.