Workers, visiting a mosque and aspirational.

1. The ants in the compost heap who stopped me from turning my garden waste earlier this year, have  gone, leaving a fine soil, ready for bulb-planting time.

2. We find out from a school WhatsApp group that our town's mosque has an exhibition on -- part of Heritage Open Days. It's always instructive to see behind doors that are normally closed to you; and this exhibition is particularly good, with a 6th century botanical text, and a 15th century engineering text, both lavishly illustrated. A boy a little older than Alec shows me each one. ‘But wait, it gets better’ — and it really does. There are also models and photographs of major pilgrimage sites -- which is interesting for me as I've been writing content about travel vaccines for Haj and Umrah. And we are welcomed so warmly by people we know from school and our neighbourhood.

3. For Sunday evening, a lightweight sit com that is so aspirational we don't even need to consider aspiring to the lifestyle it depicts.

What happened overnight, dull letters and in the freezer.

1. Even on this well trodden path near a road, where last night a tree made a pool of dark, a badger has turned over the soil searching for worms.

2. On the mat a few dull letters.

3. To find fancy ice creams in the freezer -- ready for the weekend.

Fifty-minute wait, autumn at the greengrocer and timed just right.

1. A coffee, a brownie and a structural edit loaded on to my Kindle.

2. Passing a greengrocer. Victoria plums AND Kentish cobnuts.

3. We come to the station just as my mother's train pulls in.

Clearing, follow and lemon drizzle cake with poppy seeds.

1. On Sunday the pond water was cloudy from the heavy rain. Today the sediment has settled and the water stained with last year's leaves reflects the canopy.

2. I follow my own footprints on the second time round the field.

3. Finally, after supper, we are allowed to try Alec's lemon drizzle cake with poppy seeds.

Getting things done, games and evening's work.

1. Our neighbour's voice over the garden wall asking me if I'm there -- I can tick off my gardening item; and my social contact item. 

2. I find Alec adding games that he thinks I will like to my computer.

3. Between us, we bake a lemon drizzle cake after supper.

Sunday morning, wet day and separating eggs.

1. No one else is awake, and I can do exactly as I please -- which is sitting on the sofa with a magazine.

2. It rains hard and persistently for the rest of the day and I feel pleased that I got into and out of the woods early on.

3. Teaching Bettany how to separate eggs by holding the yolk and allowing the white to run through her fingers -- she is making soufflés for supper pudding.

Reset, damp and all together.

1. With the heavy rain, it's been a tense morning. But now everyone has gone, there's time to reset with 20 minutes of reading.

2. Two children, damp around the edges, home safely.

3. While we are winding down before bed with The Folk Show, the children join us.

Bathwater, information and on the common.

1. I leave the water in my bath, pretending that it's to make best use of the scent from the bath bomb; but really because I love the gold shimmer in the dark blue water.

2. We hoard and treasure and compare the fragments of information we get from Bettany (and the location setting on the family safety app, and her new school's social media) about her day.

3. I have a good reason to take a walk across the common towards the end of the afternoon. Of course it's fine to just go for a walk for the sake of exercise -- but it's more satisfying if there's a reason for the walk.

Going in, underground and nerve.

1. Because he is not in it, I can straighten Alec's bed and quickly tidy his room.

2. I've got chatting to another mum waiting for her daughter's before-school haircut. She used to work for London Underground, and she is full of cool information about unions and risks and tunnels and the unseen parts of stations. By the time I look back round, Bettany's hairdresser is carefully plaiting her damp hair so it will be wavy in the morning.

3. MS Office in not behaving. But even though I have a lot of work to do, I've got the nerve -- and the patience -- to set an update running and walk away for a break.

Sleeves, stopping for a chat and review.

1. The cuffs of Alec's shirt at the ends of his blazer sleeves. Time for an upgrade.

2. On my way, I run into another mum and have to stop in the drizzle for an encouraging gossip.

3. Bettany brings me her shopping for review. 

Rowan, now/later and which cake.

1. Treading orange rowan berries underfoot.

2. We buy flowers in deep crimsons and pinks for now; and bulbs in butter yellow and brave red for the spring.

3. We chose a lemon curd cake, and very good it turns out to be; but we could have had jam and coconut -- maybe next time.