Three Beautiful Things

1. Katie's dress sparkled and prickled with light. Veiled in church she looked her usual elegant self, but ethereal, too. A proper fairytale bride. 2. The folk trio played Linden Lea, and the elderflower cordial and the canapes kept coming. 2a. Jules spent most of the day blushing -- he looked as if he might burst with pride and happiness as he showed off his new wife during the first dance. "I'm actually glad she made me do those lessons," he said. 3. I inhaled mineral water at a very stupid quip in the best man's speech. He said that the hospital staff still referred to the day Jules was born as 'Ugly Friday'. It's exactly the sort of thing Rosey and I would say to Robert. 4a. One wall of the marquee was a designated hat display -- all the fascinators and feathered headpieces were pegged up to keep them safe. "Now that's attention to detail," said someone at our table.

Today Katie-who-I-used-to-live-with is getting married to her adored Jules. They've put so much work into the wedding -- can't wait to see the result. And knowing Katie it will go so smoothly that they'll have plenty of opportunities to appreciate the process. It's a perfect September day, just right for a country wedding, and it's an auspicious start to many years of happiness. 1. My new dressing gown in certain lights resembles a Jedi robe. Which leads to: "This is not the wife / cup of tea / Weetabix you are looking for." 2. "Who finished the Toblerone?" "It was Baby Badger." 3. I don't often wax my own legs -- but whenever I do, I remember exactly why I am happy to pay someone else -- someone skilled -- to deal with the mess and stickiness for me.

1. The radio alarm goes off in the middle of the BBC pips. 2. I've got an early meeting, so I leave the house with Nick and kiss him goodbye at the station. 3. This mouthful of bread pudding contains both an astringent cardamom seed and a piece of apricot.

1. Kevin turned up at games night on Tuesday with two baby shawls -- as used by his now teenage children. "You'll need a few of these," he says "Babies are messy." I carry the bag up to the nursery, and it smells of clean washing. 2. A piece of Toblerone -- the large airport kind. 3. My soup has turned out autumn orange.

1. To spend some time with my mother at the garden centre discussing the relative merits of violas and wallflowers. I love violas for their surprised but neat faces -- I think they are afraid of spoiling their carefully pencilled-in make-up. As soon as the vegetables finish and some pots come free, I'm going back for a couple of boxes. 2. Clients who pay very promptly and electronically. 3. There's been a car alarm yipping and wailing ever since we got into bed. I go to the window muttering that I am really going to give it something to go off about if I can work out which car it is. It falls silent and does not start again.

1. From the window behind my desk, I catch the cyclist I saw riding off yesterday at 5pm locking his bike to the pay and display machine. 2. Shaking an apple to hear the pips (that no-one has ever seen) rattle. 3. Beans on toast: always there when you're working too hard to cook.

1. To put my hand in my dressing gown pocket and find a clean, folded handkerchief. 2. She is still getting the hang of this walking. A man who might be her father or her grandfather watches anxiously as she totters and then goes over. She wonders at the ground and then picks up a leaf and hands it to him -- she wasn't falling, she was having a closer look. 3. Nick has made steak and kidney pudding for supper -- it spends the afternoon steaming: pff-pff-pff, with the occasional feisty hiss.