1. The day is bright enough to lure me down to the allotment for the first time in three weeks. Everything is, thankfully, undisturbed: the only signs of the wet, warm weather of late are the full water butts, the sogginess underfoot along the paths, and the healthy fat overwintered broad bean seedlings.

1b. The space at the rear of the plot looks particularly barren so I dig a new bed into it: I’ll pick up some new fruit bushes to fill it over the next few weeks.

1c. A pile of pulled dandelions with their full tap roots attached.

2. The doorbell rings: a man offering window cleaning services. I recognise him but I’m not sure where from and then it hits me – he’s the man with the cat from near the bus stop. I mention his kitty and he tells me how he rescued it from knee deep snow, how it’s only got one eye and how it rides around on his shoulder.

3. The crunch of the red peppers in our falafel pittas.

3b. The contrast between the rich saucy and the (pleasantly) bitter aubergine.