1. We visit Cartwright Hall and make funnies amongst the artwork. We both enjoy the Tai-Shan Schierenberg exhibition, and John is also inspired by the Lichtenstein print and the giant wire sculptures at the front of the building. I like some of the textile pieces and point out the burial goods made with Egyptian paste – I’ll be making my own versions of those in a few months.

2. The room grows darker as we chat then the deluge begins. It’s the heaviest rain I’ve seen in a long time – it’s almost hypnotic to watch.

2b. A moment of unintentional but well-timed comedy with an umbrella.

2c. The beck is as busy as I’ve ever see it – topping the bank on the far side and lapping over the footpath at the curve slightly downstream. I watch it flow until the rain drives us back inside.

3. Using a blanket as bait (she loves woolly blankets), Tilda cuddles into me on the sofa. It’s taken a while but we’re slowly bringing her out of her shell. (In the bedroom, she’s been a cuddler for months but is still quite aloof in the rest of the house.)