1. The feeling of smug satisfaction you get from finishing all your chores before going out for the rest of the day.
2. Mia the dog chewing gently on my hand; and the way she pretends to be scared of a remote controlled car, wrinkling her nose at it, barking, feinting at picking it up and then jumping backwards.
3. Cooking with Katie -- we are a pretty good team, because we can fill in the gaps in each other's knowledge, and it's nice to have some company while you peel onions and pop almonds out of their skins. We made pumpkin and lamb, couscous, shallots and prunes, carrots with cumin, rice pudding and chocolate and ginger tart.
