1. A day off – from both work and cooking. John insists on his usual hangover fare (a fish butty) for lunch and just as we’re finishing, his friend texts to offer us dinner for that evening: black little desi chickpeas, rice and a rich sauce, with startling yellow vegetables on the side.

1b. The chilli chutney is smooth and consistent, a fresh round green.

2. Lily and I go for a little walk – the first all week. She isn’t really up for it but it’s about as much work as going down to the garden for her to wee, and it is more mentally stimulating. She sniffs EVERYTHING between our house and the horses’ field and back.

3. I go up into the spare room and dig out an old project (a scarf from a decade ago that I didn’t like in the end) to rework (into a cat windowsill cushion), and a box of photos from when I was little. The two things occupy my evening.