Three Beautiful Things

Extra special Midwinter Beautiful Things to Sgt Dub in Afghanistan, and to Kimono Hime in case she is homesick for England; and to everyone who is far away from the ones they love. 1. Waking up under my new blue cotton quilt from India. It's a present from Katie. She has a matching one in red in her room. She carried them both for nearly her whole holiday. 2. Scrambled eggs on crispy toast. They are bright yellow because they come from freerange chickens; and they are the first thing we've cooked in the new flat. 3. Opening a box and finding the Christmas decorations.

1. Today, Adam gets to be a beautiful thing. He is moving to Spain to be with the woman he loves. He has been a leading light in the pagan community in Tunbridge Wells for a couple of years now. Moderating message boards, guiding walks, leading moots and encouraging study groups. What I really like about him -- apart from his gap-toothed grin and give-anything-a-go attitude -- is that he is not after a circle of adoring acolytes. He saw that the group needed someone to take charge, so he did it. My favourite Adam story is him telling me with some surprise about something that happened on Tonbridge Station on his way to a moot. 'These girls came up to me and went: "Are you a pilgrim?" and I thought about it and said: "Yes I am," because we're all pilgrims in life, aren't we.' Adam, hope everything is good in Spain -- and I don't resent Mika a bit for stealing you from us. 2. A Christmas tree, still wrapped in its net, in the corner of the pub. 3. ...

Items of interest Three Beautiful Things scientifically proven (thanks to all those who told me about this article). I've written on One At All , the project that lets nations compare their ways of life, about: Local customs of my country ; In my country the days we celebrate are and The most important fact in my country's history . And now, back to normal service. 1. Being allowed to hold the nephew of He Who Shall Not Be Named. The baby was very sweet -- even if he did posset, hiccup and suffer from a bit of wind. It was also good to meet HWSNBN's sister, having heard so much about her, and it's always fun to have a baby to pass round the office. 2. A mysterious noise outside my window turns out to be the Men From the Council stringing Christmas lights across the High Street. They were working just a couple of bay windows away from me. 3. Being told that 'joyous' is a 'very Clare word.'

1. One of my favourite Christmas-is-coming sights -- a council man in a cherrypicker carefully winding a string of lights round the small branches of the lime trees on the Pantiles. 2. Apples -- because I can eat them while I'm typing or reading without worrying about stickiness. 3. Sherry in a beef stew. Beef gravy and sherry are made for each other.

1. We have got a temp in at work and he's doing all the tasks that need doing but get put to one side because they are boring. 2. I set out late for my walk and meet my boss coming back from his. 'It's wonderful,' he says. 'All the colours!' Going down the lane I spot guelder rose trees bowed down by bloated, glossy scarlet berries; holly trees with thick clusters of waxy red berries; bloomy grey blue sloes; silk pink spindle berries and leaves in all shades of orange and red and brown. 3. Nibbling at fried onions while I wait for my dinner. It's meant to go in the pasta, but I'm cooking for myself, so there's no-one to tell me not to pick and spoil my supper.

1. I leave my curtains open when I get home at 5.30pm to let in the last of the day light and so I can compare the driving grey blue foggy rain outside with the warm creams and browns colours in my flat. 2. Reminders of Africa and all the beautiful things that trip generated. In particular, roibos tea that recalls a refreshing drink after a long walk; and the noise of my boiler starting up the central heating, which makes me think of the 'blissful ablutions' at Umvuvu Bush Camp.. 3. In yoga we did a pose that I always think I shouldn't be able to do, but I can. It is Vasisthasana -- the side plank pose.

1. A lush field of grass dotted with the palest mauve maids-a-milking. 2. A little girl in pink frock on pink roller skates falling down on her bottom in the park, and her tiny brother trying to help her up. 3. The feeling that I want to be outside rather than in.

1. John P making kissy noises at his cat to try and get it to come in out of the rain. 2. The miraculous greenness in the woods and hedges. Leaves seem to have suddenly unfurled over the weekend. 3. A pair of mallard ducks -- one male, one female -- going for a stroll in the field.

1. Walking down a footpath while the white petals of wild cherry blossom fell all around me. 2. The swallows are back and I heard my first cuckoo. Summer is coming in. 3. A child's mountain bike lying on its side, right in the way, outside the newsagents.

1. Getting to use my big teapot because Katie stayed over. Then I cooked bacon and egg sandwiches. 2. I took the train to Wales -- the bit I like best is along the North Wales coast between Crewe and Llandudno Junction. It is the first warm day in ages and families were out on the beaches and in pub gardens enjoying the sunshine. 3. Getting off the chuggy old diesel at Blaenau Ffestiniog and smelling the steam train on the next platform. It's the smell of a coal fire, and also hot metal and a bit of oil.

1. Being praised by the nurse for not making a fuss when my stitches were being taken out. You can see the result here . 2. Eating dry cereal out of the box for dinner. 3. Leaving work in broad daylight.

1. Bickering with Fenella and Andy about whether 'obey' should be part of the marriage vows -- I know it's traditional, but why make a promise you can't be sure of keeping? At the same time, the idea of handing all responsibility over to someone else is tempting... 2. Wambly January sunlight warming up the flat. 3. Reading Wind in the Willows last thing at night. I like the first chapter with picnic and the chapter where they go and meet Badger in the Wild Wood best.

1. Those really satisfying shots at pool -- the one where you hit the white most carefully and it just tucks your ball into the pocket; or the one where you give it a good wallop and it smacks the ball you were aiming for right where you wanted it; or best of all, the one that you don't expect to do anything, but then, just as your oponent is about to take his turn, a ball hit on the rebound falls into a pocket. 2. Coming out of work and discovering that it's still -- only just -- light. 3. When the sunset is pink and the clouds are dark and raggy.

1. Being woken by Rose because she doesn't want to be the first one to start opening her stocking. 2. A new fairy tale book. It has a terrifying picture on the front of a child hiding under a sofa on which is sitting a grotesque and toothy man brandishing an axe. This picture would be less frightening if I could find the story to which it relates and discover what happens -- because OBVIOUSLY the child doesn't get eaten. Does he? 3. Flowers from the garden. This year Daddy found some bright orange iris berries cracking out of their pods and glossy periwinkle leaves with a few mauve flowers.

1. Great showers of glitter have fallen off my wrapping paper and now the carpet will sparkle slightly for weeks. 2. A box full of parcels. 3. Putting together Christmas stockings -- we have all been buying for each other in secret and finally on Christmas Eve all the little gifts come together.

1. My first ever pair of prescription sunnies -- I can now see even when the sun is eye-screwing bright. 2. Seeing a bus with 'Happy Christmas' on the destination board. 3. Getting drunk on Champagne with my brother and feeling all bouncy happy as we walked to the pub.

1. It's Yule, which is the shortest day of year, so from now on the days will get longer. Also, it's midsummer in South Africa, which is a nice thought. 2. Lots of good things happen if you encourage like-minded people to meet up. I love the way that the pagan moot has brought us all together. I have made real friendships of my own; and I like watching how other people have come together. There are two couples in particular, one new to Tunbridge Wells and the other keen to make more friends, who have really hit it off. 3. Jason gave us all identical presents at the moot. We carefully tucked them away in our bags and then one by one, people gave into the temptation. Anna opened the end of hers to see what it was without spoiling the surprise for anyone else. And I suddenly thought: 'This is a Yule present, damn it, so I shall open it on Yule.'

1. Swimming in the daytime so that I can feel the warmth of the sun pouring in through the windows. 2. Christmas lunch of fizzy wine, red wine, roast chicken, two kinds of stuffing, sausages, bacon, roast potatoes and parsnips, carrots, leeks and broccoli, gravy and bread sauce. Later, we had Christmas pudding with real brandy flames made in a ladle over the gas ring. Then there were little chocolates in the shape of Christmas puddings. And crackers -- mustn't forget the crackers. Afterwards the three of us retired to the sitting room to complain about having eaten too much. Thank you Fenella and Andy! 3. Singing carols by candlelight. The flame gets passed along the rows until everyone is holding lit candle.

1. My hall is windowless and I discovered (after living here for nearly three years) that when it is completely dark and I have my night eyes, I can see the light from my smoke detector making stripes on the floor. 2. The moon is very fat and bright at the moment -- according to the BBC it's the biggest it has been for 18 years. 3. Walking up Chaple Place and seeing the lights strung across the road.

1. Coming to the front of a long queue. 2. Losing my phone and then finding it again -- this time it was in a bag of old phones to be recycled by Oxfam. Sigh. 3. Looking for Christmas cards, I find my Christmas decorations and put a few up, including the red and green mobile.