Three Beautiful Things

1. Sitting in the school hall and feeling quietly proud at my child's clear, firm voice. 2. To walk home across the common rather than along the road. 3. A chocolate tart with plenty of raspberries.

1. In the bushes to the side of the path, I catch movement. First one wren then a second shake their stubby tails at us. 2. It never gets old, seeing the waiter pour hot chocolate sauce over Bettany's favourite dessert. And I like getting a taste of the chocolate mousse hidden beneath. 3. At last -- right at the very end of the day -- I can sit down and listen to Alec's music practice.

1. To find snowdrops shouldering their way to the surface in one of my containers. 2. A few of the daisy leaves have frost scorched tips, but right down in the centre of the rosettes there are tight fists of flower buds. 3. ...and that's my tax return done.

1. My poached egg comes out neat and complete in the slotted spoon. 2. I'm not feeling great -- so I send myself home at 4pm.  3. We're down to the last few episodes of Gravity Falls -- the ones that make Bettany feel frightened or embarrassed for the characters. We watch them, though, because they're great episodes. We can hide under the blanket when it gets scary, and we can safely see how people might handle risky conversations and awkward social situations.

1. A robin on the path, his chest a fierce bright, bright scarlet among the duns and tired greens of the winter woods. 2. The fruit bowl is full of blood oranges, which I look forward to every year because nothing tastes quite like them, and there are Seville oranges in the shops, so we could -- if we felt like it -- make marmalade. 3. At the end of the day, there's a new Fortean Times waiting for me.

1. There's a storm coming in the middle of the day, and though it's grey, drizzly and Sunday, the park is busy with urgent people exercising dogs and toddlers and themselves so they can bear twelve hours confined. 2. I am playing for real and Bettany wins. 3. For Christmas, I asked for and received a set of headphones in a stretchy band that is much more comfortable for sleeping than over-ear or in-ear arrangements. Tonight, I'm very pleased to block out the noise of the storm with a long and serene hypnosis track.

1. Where I wait to cross the road I can see the woods at the top of the bank. On the leaf litter, two pigeons rest in the sun. 2. At coffee time, Nick suggests I sit on the other side of the table to take advantage of the winter sun's warmth. 3. I miss the moment the sun goes under the horizon -- but the sky is stained pink to orange to blue for at least twenty minutes after.