Granny, bubbles and working relationship.

1. As I prepared my lunchbox and breakfast my thoughts turned to my forefathers and to ancestor worship - did I ever mention that my great grandfather was an admiral? At that moment, one of the Beanie cats that I inherited from my grandmother flopped off the CD rack where it has been lounging for the last three months. Yes, all right - foreMOTHERS, too. Thank heavens she didn't choose to communicate through the Wedgewood dinner service.

2. Ed and I both like the froth on top of cafetiere coffee, so it has to be carefully shared out when pouring. Although I sort of wish I hadn't mentioned it so I could have it all to myself, it's nice to know that someone else enjoys the same out-of-the-way things that you like.

3. I have been going to the same beautician for about six years now. Strongly recommended, that. If you build up a good relationship with a professional - whatever service they are providing - you don't have feel funny about asking questions. And also, it avoids the annoying 'So where are you going on your holidays' questions. You can get straight to the interesting stuff about philosophy and books and Christmas Day Aga crises.

Pink, allium and speckled things.

1. My piece of rose quartz. It is not polished, so it is quite sharp, but it catches the light wonderfully. I like to carry it in my pocket because it's large enough to make its presence felt.

2. The way the smell of garlic alters subtley depending on what you cook it with.

3. Grating nutmeg into mashed potato. I like cooking with nutmeg because when you grate it, the speckled inside is revealed.

Thick chocolate, better than soap and seedy.

1. PaulV took me out for hot chocolate at Carluccio's. They make it by putting very thick chocolate saucey stuff in the bottom of a glass mug and then they float milk and foam on the top.
2. Making PaulV admit that despite everything he likes me better than Brookside. On the grounds that: although I am demanding, Brookie was more so because it was on three times a week at set times; there is less incest, drugs and spouse murder in my life; and also, Brookside Close has been bulldozed to make way for a sliproad, but I am still here.

3. Sesame prawn toast.

Determination, poodle and milk phenomenon.

1. There are violets growing up out of the tarmac under the wall between the pavement and the carpark.

2. A white poodle and a black sheepdog racing for a ball. The black dog was so winning that the poodle turned round and stepped back to its people in a dignified manner, pretending that it hadn't wanted the ball anyway. It looked like it was wearing white disco trousers.

3. When you forget about a milky cup of coffee for 24 hours, the cream in the milk makes a strange white swirl on the surface.

Parsley, quiet and redolence.

1. The taste of fresh parsley.

2. It stopped raining for an hour towards the end of the morning. All was still outside, except the smoke from the hospital incinerator, because the wind was too little to move the water heavy leaves.

3. I went round Fenwicks looking for new handcream. All the different ranges - Crabtree and Evelyn Jojoba, Summer Hill and Nantucket Briar; Roger et Gallet's sandal wood; Bronnley White Iris and English Fern - remind me of friends and relatives and all the years of my life.

Little madam, exultation and mystery veggies.

1. A father and two very blonde daughters came to our stall at the boot fair. The big one must have been about nine and was dressed in an icecream pink poncho with matching skirt and books. The little one was about seven and very skinny with flossy, tangled hair. She was wearing jeans, a pink frilly top and a knitted jacket the colour of 1970s orange squash. She came right up to the 10p corner. 'You should put this' (a plastic Kinder Egg goldfish) 'in this.' (A round glass tealight holder that did look a little like a fish bowl.) As they walked off, her sister clung closer to her dad. 'Are you cold? You could always borrow my jacket,' said the little sister with an enormous, naughty smile. I thought they must have been teasing her about that jacket earlier.

2. Sky larks hovering above the boot fair field. They become a little less beautiful when you realise that their song is not paen to the wonderousness of creation viewed from above. It's better translated as 'Geddorf geddorf geddorf my laaaaaaahnd.'

3. One of the stalls at the farmers' market sold strange salad greens. In the interests of science, I bought some texel and some turnip tops. Turnip tops are quite sharp and hot. Texel is a bit more subtle. I wonder if it will be the Next Big Thing - like rocket, or lollo rosso?

Part payment, little'un and manners.

1. 'How much for this rhubarb and a bunch of parsley?' 'That'll be 80p and one of your smiles.'

2. A small girl of about four - bundled up against the marketday wind so she was nearly as wide as she was tall - wearing red and pink stripy tights waddling about holding on to the backs of her knees, with a concentratey look on her face.

3. Granny Pat describing how she ticked off two men in her local pub for 'effing and blinding'. She told them: 'When I was in the army if anyone said f-this or f-that the sergeant would say: 'There's a lady in the room.''