1. I stare at the giant mounds of rocks. My favourite thing about the woods in winter is seeing again what was previously hidden.

1b. The woman thinks my fat springer is her fat springer. We laugh when she realises her mistake. I’ve done the same thing myself of course.

2. An enjoyable sentence pops up in the middle of the story: “A well stocked mind is safe from boredom.”

3. I always marvel at the lightshades – the copper, the polygons – but somehow missed the nicest thing of all: how they cast dancing dapples on the ceiling.

3b. The food is the best we’ve had there – and that’s saying something. The spices are blended so perfectly that I can’t tell exactly which flavours I’m enjoying the most.