1. Rain dropping out of the sky in straight lines. I once saw a poem - it was arranged letter by letter down the page - that said something like: 'When the rain is falling in long columns we are inclined to forget how wonderful it is.'
2. I've got a sore wisdom tooth. Not really sure what to do about it. Then my dentist rings. 'Our computer's down. Do you know if you've got an appointment soon?' 'Nope,' I say. 'But can you tell me what to do about this wisdom tooth?' 'If you pop in, we'll have a look and maybe give you some antibiotics.'
3. I'm reading Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. I love popular science books about the origins of life; and I love Bill Bryson's eye for interesting details - there are giant concrete dinosaurs in Crystal Palace Park and a dinner party for 21 was held in the iguanadon; Marsh and Cope discovered the same dinosaur 29 times; mastodon means 'nipple tooth'.
