A dress, paneer and bedtime story.

1. "That's very you," he says, and I change my mind about the dress I want.

2. She has made paneer from scratch for our supper -- cheese is a small kitchen miracle.

3. Saiya snuggles up to me as I read her a story about a haunted hotel. "Your arm is nice and soft."

Petits soldats, posh nosh and candles on the cake.

1. Nick has been wondering about the large parcel with his name on it. It's a box of soldiers -- little ones, from France. He says 'Tim'll be so jealous.'

2. We go out for lunch and eat from glass plates decorated with dabs and dots of sauce and tiny pieces of vegetable.

3. I hadn't realised how late it had got until I carried the candlelit cake through the dark hall.

A kindness, a frog and smoke.

1. She has fallen asleep in the drawing room. A carer comes by and moves her glasses to a safer spot.

2. It's a dead leaf on the platform. No, it's a large frog taking the air on a mild February night.

3. Outside the hotel on the corner, two men are smoking and talking quietly in the dark. The smell of their weed has something to say.

Story teller, better with two and read to me.

1. The podiatrist offers a fistful of stories about miracle cure anxiety, lost and found dogs and a bag of swag stashed under the roots of an oak tree.

2. On the train: A lady talks anxiously into her phone about how to get to the passport office. 'I left in such a hurry this morning I didn't have time to check the details. It's near Victoria, isn't it? Globe House?' There's no help for her at the end of the phone, though, and the conversation ends. Then a voice pipes up from the seat behind: 'Sorry to listen in, but are you going to the passport office? I'm going there, too.'

3. Cat hands me my favourite goddaughter and a book called The Smartest Giant in Town. She says: 'I always hear this in your voice for some reason.'

Taking my time, cheers and I love badgers.

1. A day off means not racing through the bathroom.

2. When I thank the cleaner for her two of hours of work, she looks round the room, smiles, and says 'Enjoy'.

3. The Badger Trust sends a sheet of stickers reading 'I love badgers.' I

The speaker, time and knitting.

1. I went to hear a writing friend read and speak in a short story discussion. The people in front of me caught her in the viewfinder of their camera again and again.

2. After an uncalculated saunter towards a train leaving at an uncertain time I walk into the station with ten minutes to spare.

3. Knitting with plastic bags is rather satisfying. I used the instructions at Atomic Shrimp to make the yarn, and then knitted it up on needles in the usual fashion. I'm not sure what I'll use the result for -- I'm aware of the irony of using about 100 plastic bags to make one shopping bag. I might go for a bag for carrying my water bottle.

Washing line, angry blond and the soundtrack.

1. The washing goes out on the line for a few hours -- first time this year.

2. He hands me a 2cm tall warrior which is going away to be painted tomorrow. 'These are great. They've got real Saxon expressions. "I'm here to kill your monsta!". When we watch Beowulf, I'm going to line them up so they can see it.'

3. We spend a cheerful -- if argumentative evening testing wedding music to see what makes me cry (Handel's wedding march, not Wagner's one; Linden Lea, but only a crackly 1930s recording; and the grand march from Aida).