0. Very unusually for her, Tilda was absent all evening and by bedtime I’m starting to worry. I wake in the dark time just before dawn to the sound of a cat tugging on the carpet and when I put out my hand, the silkiness of the fur and the volume of the purr let me know my girl has reappeared.

1. Two tails wagging as Lily makes a new friend.

2. I make a load of “mainstay mince”: it’s meaty yet fragrant, veg heavy but rich. (Unfortunately I wipe out most of the subtly by adding too much smoked paprika to tonight’s dinner but we’ll enjoy it in the rest of the mince meals.)

3. It’s impossible not to mimic the pleasing vowel sounds.