Three Beautiful Things

1. I am staring at the meal deals in the minimarket when I realise that what I really want here is a coffee and a sandwich made in front of me. So I go round the corner to the sandwich shop on Castle Street. 2. We are very pleased to have a fangirl on the sofa, watching Stranger Things surrounded by Panini sticker debris. 3. It's the time of year when butter melts on toasted crumpets.

1. I'm into week four, and to my surprise, I'm doing triceps dips. Not very well, and I can't manage the whole forty-five seconds, but I'm doing them. 2. At coffee time, there's a book parcel -- one of my suspense edits, The Good Girl  by Trish Dixon -- and the latest Fortean Times . 3. The biology teacher suggests a practical we could try at home and it feels like something we might have a go at.

1. I have just the right paper -- tiny Japanese pages, not much larger than business cards, printed with wisteria in full bloom. 2. Bin night is a tedious chore, but the house always feels lighter with the rubbish chased out of the door. 3. I have leisure this evening to start writing a reply to an email.

1. It is a cold day with sneaking drizzle, but drifts of orange and yellow leaves bring bright heat to the woods. 2. The swish of Bettany turning in at the bottom of the ski slope. 3. Nick reminds me to add everyone's favourite biscuits to the shopping order.

1. I have to wait in the library for a few minutes and find myself flittering among the shelves snapping pics of books that I might like to borrow but will probably forget about. 2. We are nearly fifteen and not far off fifty, but we still stop to crack an icy puddle in the park. 3. I am struck by how much I like the ink in the pen I'm using. It's a Stabilo fineliner 88/62 called grey violet, and honestly, these dirty colours -- the drabs, the greys, the kharkis and the ochres are underloved in a world of brights.

1. I open the front door to take a parcel and am surprised by wet snow falling in rags and tufts. 2. A badger has given the edges of the paths in the park a working over, turning the soil and tearing up the grass in search of worms. It must be frustrating for the groundsmen; but I like knowing there's a badger or two about. 3. It's a cold, cold morning -- just right for serving hot chocolate.

1. The hot cup of tea waiting for me on the breakfast table. 2. My words aren't coming easily today, and I can't feel confident about anything I'm writing. But I try anyway. As long as I aim for clarity, stick to the sources and remember the reader, it will do. There will always be some days when good enough is good enough. 3. A bag of chips on the supper table.