1. Carving into leatherhard terracotta – geometric lines and curves that, unintentionally, look like the spines of fossils.

2. The long gardens visible from the bus; all neat after their Easter trims.

3. The excited lab runs around us, unable to control his direction or his tail. The little chihuahua at my feet doesn’t understand why it is still being called – one pair of wellies presumably looks much like another.

4. A pleasant surprise – the “some” crewel wool I bought on ebay turns out to be a “quite a lot” of crewel wool. The bag is full of the most delicious shades.

4b. I wind shiny cotton onto little plastic bobbins.

1. I haven’t exactly had a frantic Easter weekend but it is still nice to have a bonus pyjama day. Kaufman curls into my belly while we watch Game of Thrones.

1b. Someone – some cat – needs to teach Strange how to sleep properly. She is constantly faceplanted into the sofa, or has her front legs squished behind her at a peculiar angle.

2. I don’t realise I’ve been tensing until I relax, then I relax again and again. Finally my limbs go floppy.

3. Lily eating prawn crackers is, without a doubt, my favourite thing about getting a Chinese take-out.

1. We’re all relieved when he backs out of the very tight space without hitting the wall again.

1b. Kaufman welcomes us back from the walk then we – Lily, K and me – wait for John. Kauf and Lily sniff each other, which turns into a full-on face rub.

2. The leeks – which are kinda important when you’re making pork chops with creamed leeks – are past it. A quick search of the fridge and the internet provides as alternative: pork chops in a balsamic reduction, with sweet potato and carrot mash and a side of ratatouille. We don’t need no (literally) stinking leeks.

3. Little smooth blue stitches. I haven’t done quite as much sewing as I’d like but I’m making progress.

1. John brings us tea and we read in bed for an hour.

2. A pigeon had flown into the feed store. We imagine it must think it’s hit the jackpot: all those bags of seed!

2b. Lily is delighted to be in her second favourite woods. The trees open out to reveal the stream below: she looks back at us, eyes shiny with anticipation.

2c. The green slope across the valley: where we were just a few minutes before.

3. I gasp and laugh at the audacity of the narrator – it would be completely unbelievable if it wasn’t true.

4. The drips of lassi are heavy and viscous.

1. Sunbathing chickens – lying flat, legs akimbo, wings spread, in odd places around the garden – look like they’re cartoon birds that have been dropped from a very great height.

1b. Everything is growing. I marvel at the little buds on all the fruit bushes.

1c. Kaufman stands on the nest box with his catch (a baby rat) in his mouth. Later, Strange stands equally triumphant, leaning against the fence, though I suspect she just found Kaufman’s old catch rather than making her own.

1d. I’m amazed how much my gardening experience has improved now that I have a good supply of potting compost.

2. The flags around the barbeque are warm but the grass is still painfully cold.

2b. The heat haze reshapes the garden beyond. The corn pieces are a touch too “chargrilled” but delicious and sweet; the chicken is, surprisingly, perfect.

3. Lily races to the door when S arrives, her tail wagging at top speed.

1. Laughing at jokes I’ve heard dozens of times before: I always “heh” at the second one but the ridiculousness of the first one strikes me as especially hilarious today. I laugh and laugh.

2. Tracing patterns onto fabric transforms my doodles into something grander. (Especially when I’ve been a good girl and ironed & hemmed my fabric first.)

2b. A new batch of threads arrives and, as always happens, I get overexcited about the colours. This time I lay them out on my pattern and rearrange them until I get the perfect combination. (I perhaps dither for longer than necessary just because it’s so much fun.)

2c. Funny, a stitch that suits one waterway looks completely wrong on another and vice versa.

3. Strange is already on her back, white belly on show and floppy rabbit paws dangling in the air, when John notices the tip of her tongue is poking out. I jokingly urge her to try to be cuter – I don’t think it’s possible but she reaches out and bats a thread. She wins.

3b. Tilda is transfixed by the peculiar creature at the cat flap. The entity – which closely resembles a foot in a sock – dances back and forth almost as if it wants her to attack.