1. The rain starts suddenly and is surprisingly heavy – then gets heavier and heavier still. I look out of the door and catch the eye of the guy fitting decking next door. He looks as awed by it as I am.

2. Lily waiting patiently, stood on her hind legs, waiting near the door for her pop-pops. Lily’s ears floating on the surface of the beck. Lily bouncing, properly springing, through the duck pond. Lily intrigued with the swan on the canal. I quite like that dog.

3. I’ve forgotten how nice it is to wear shorts sometimes.

1. Being on the same wavelength even though we’re many miles apart.

2. I get a lick on the hand from a long dog and stroke a puppy’s velvet ears on his very first walk.

3. A walk around the garden in the strange pink light before dusk. I get to throw some snails off my courgette plants too.

1. It takes a lot of washing to get your whiskers clean after having some leftover kipper oil but Carla has a sunny spot to do it in so she doesn’t seem to mind at all.

2. I thought we wouldn’t have any for a while after yesterday shock but there are three perfect eggs in the nest box when I go down in the morning.

3. Traffic through Saltaire:
a) the school girl in green with the forethought to put her sunglasses in her blazer pocket on a drab morning to be ready for the sun ahead.
b) the man with the red star outline around his elbow: first we overtake him then on the other end of the high street, we overtake him.
c) a picture in a shop window makes me go through my usual thought process: “ooh, I’d like to buy that … No, I’d like to make my own instead.”

4. The people that have learnt their lines.

Today started with dead chickens, ended with a lost purse and included a pointless expensive long journey as well – but I’m determined to find some good in it too!

1. To have become a friendly face so quickly.

2. The play is, really, about eating and the good life. The cast eat ice cream, crisps, chips, more ice cream, eggs & soldiers, strawberries, yet more ice cream, more crisps, finger food and glass after glass of drink… Meanwhile, up on the back row, I have a surprisingly nice brownie at the interval: slightly crispy on the outside but suitably gooey in the middle.

3. A (cat) yawn held a beat too long makes it ten times cuter.

1. Spinning around in time with the music both to amuse the dog (I have her bone in my hand) and for my own enjoyment.

2. The distorted, tall tree draws my eye upwards to the Wedgwood blue sky.

3. To watch an old film and laugh at silly jokes that feel engraved on my soul.

(Not particularly Beautiful Things but very much louisa things.)

1. Forgetting I’ve tipped filthy carpet cleaner water down the toilet, then having a wee, seeing the black water and wondering what the hell is up with my bladder.

2. Spur-of-the-moment inviting a friend into our house for the first time and remembering too late to explain why there is a giant furry monkey in the middle of the dining room.

3. It turns out the new tea towels are not colourfast. I have accidentally dyed all our tea towels lime green. It hurts our eyes.