Three Beautiful Things

Fiona Robyn has published a tiny piece by me on A Handful of Stones . 1. At Kitsu, Tunbridge Wells' best sushi and noodle bar , the owner discovers that Nick's name is Law. "Same as my grandparents!" She writes in Chinese for him. 2. Nick, returning from a shopping trip, walks past the window. He is swinging a new suit bag. 3. I like to make a sandwich of the greasy, lemony shreds and fragments of cold chicken picked off the carcass.

Some of you have been asking about the wedding, and sending your good wishes, which are very welcome. It's on Saturday November 21, which seems alarmingly near, although at the same time, it can't come soon enough because we are so excited about being Mr and Mrs for the rest of our lives. It's been a wonderful journey, and I'm so glad I recorded my favourite parts on 3BT. I'm looking forward very much to writing the post about the wedding day. I'm sure I'll want to record more than three things. Katie-who-I-used-to-live-with has kindly agreed to sort out pictures for that post, and ensure it goes live while I am running around squealing with excitement about being addressed as Mrs Law, and going away on honeymoon. She blogs over at League Against Boring Lunches , so I know the post will be in safe hands. What I really wanted to talk about, though, is the week of the honeymoon. I'm going to take a break (my first in more than five years). I hope you ...

1. The plant stallholder's daughter is looking carefully at the curled shoots of cyclamens. Our eyes meet through the dolly mixture and lipstick pinks, and I tell her: "We used to call them 'Mouse tails'." 2. Ladelling hot lemon curd into sterilised jars. It pours like new honey (our ancient household management book says that this is how you know it's ready; another recipe says that it will coat the back of the spoon). 3. Digging out the spent soil from the lettuce trough, adding new compost, soaking it well and planting up three little violas -- which I hope will cheer up the winter days to come. I wish I could set the trough up on the window sill so that people can look right into the flowers and see the sepia lines radiating out from the centres. Picture of cyclamen from Stock.xchng

1. It's a bright blue day of hot sun and crisp air, with a big old sky stippled and dashed and splashed and speckled with cloud wisps. It's a beautiful day for walking and I have things to do on the other side of town. 2. I try on my wedding dress for the first time -- it's still unfinished, but for the first time, I can see a picture of what I'm going to look like when I marry Nick. I can't stop smiling. 3. I like to feel the different textures of a sandwich (soft bread, crisp lettuce, resiliant ham) as I cut it in half with a sharp knife. Picture of sandwich from Stock.xchng

Nick has just pointed out that it hasn't been possible to post comments for a few days. I was starting to wonder where you'd all gone! Comments are now working again: sorry about that. 1. Walking in the woods on a sunny morning when the grass is still silver-grey with dew. 2. I dig in for the afternoon with a recorded episode of the new Miss Marple on ITV2 . It's a lavish production with lots of details to enjoy: art deco offices; a detective longing for a chocolate as the suspect pops them one by one into her perfectly lipsticked mouth; splendid winter landscapes; bright red lipsticks; a maid's bedroom decorated with film posters. It makes me feel jealous of TV writers: they are allowed to show layers and layers in a way that just isn't allowed in prose fiction. 3. I like preparing a squash because the hard peel comes off in laquered strips.

1. My mother-in-law to-be and I go shopping for her wedding outfit. It's pleasing to see her have a break for all her caring duties. I hope she enjoyed it: I always feel a bit shy around her. It's lucky we're both so fond of Nick, because it gives us something to talk about. 2. I had a facial yesterday at The Holistic Health Centre . It must look strange to see that in among the posts about job hunting and signing on; but I do want to have glowing skin on our wedding day, and the massage makes me feel so much better. Plus Sandra always shares some wisdom while she works. We talked about how important it is to keep to the path, and remember what you are really trying to achieve. 3. The smell of germinating mustard and cress seeds: wet and peppery. I like to see the tiny changes that happen each day. Picture of cress from Stock.xchg

1. A mother sits at one end of a bench talking to her baby boy in his pushchair. He looks at the elderly lady in a green mac sitting at the other end of the bench. She smiles and smiles as if she's seen the love of her life. 2. At the 'We buy your unwanted gold' stand in the mall, a young couple hands over an old ring. The valuer says: "That's nine carat." The husband has a days old baby (red and fast asleep) cradled on his shoulder. He looks pleased and proud. 3. I picked up a copy of Christopher Lloyd's What on Earth Happened? a few months ago because he's a local author. It has risen to the top of the pile of unread books now and I've discovered a bit of a treasure. It is a history of the entire universe from big bang to present day. I've only just reached early mammals, but it has firmed up my understanding of life on earth already. I love the descriptions of the drab primeval forests. It made me feel the way I felt reading those children...