1. To finish an hour earlier than expected.

1b. To return home to a really good batch of pasta sauce. I change my t-shirt so that I can enjoy the spatter of spaghetti without worry.

1c. Puppy paws – two front legs flapping in unison, back legs like happy lambs – also greet my return.

2. To closely examine the precise mechanics of something I do through muscle memory.

3. A surprisingly enjoyable film: considerably richer (no pun intended) than I thought it would be.

1. I perform a calculation mid-sentence during a conversation without pause or thought. A few seconds later, my conscious mind kicks in and questions what just happened – did I really just get the maths right on the fly? My face becomes blank and I say “what?” several times. We laugh at the sudden change.

2. Nothing gets Lily as hyper as getting out of the shower. She soaks the whole bathroom then, when I open the door, runs down two flights of stairs to tell John she’s clean.

3. The smoothness of my new crochet hook; the speed at which a square works up.

* John’s joke while I was “what”ing

1. Breakfast on the balcony for the first time this year: the bright sun taking the chill of the air and underfoot. Lily lies down, alert but not anxious, and the cats stretch out on the wood store’s roof.

2. To finally understand properly something – and to have an easy to apply rule for the future too.

3. The soft green shoots have shot up at an amazing rate. I gently tuck them down under the hoop.

4. Carla makes her own hammock with John’s hood, suspended between the dining room chair and table. I make cooing noises but she sleeps on.

(And another: happy birthday D & J)

1. John tells me it’s raining heavily but I disagree: there are a lot of raindrops falling in quick succession but each of them, individually, is light. John considers it for a moment then agrees.

2. He picks the dish from the special board, the one with mango and a “large pinch of saffron”. It is rich, sweet and delicious.

2b. We dab at each others’ dishes with torn chunks of naan bread, each sauce different from the last.

3. We watch “The Master“. The colours and the lighting are beautiful; the music, both in itself and in comparison, is discordant. While I have some issues with his performance, Joaquin Phoenix looks like he is not of this era: I am mesmerized by the texture of his (and to a lesser extent, Amy Adams’) skin.

1. The snow falls steadily but fails to settle.

2. “One day, I’m going to walk that way,” John says, pointing to the opposite side of a hillock. I lead the charge. The track winds, taking us first to a field I last visited three years ago (I point at a gate post pushed over to make a stile and recall sitting there to have a drink), then loops back to join the main path further on. We continue outward to the village then head back into the woods for the return journey. By the time we finally reach home, our cheeks are pink with cold and exertion.

3. A conversation grows as it snares passing people. Lily and Malcolm mingle for tickles, treats and attention but the large white dog stands still and impassive.

1. The stack of paper holds the heat from the printer. The cat and I enjoy the warmth.

1b. He is in a cuddly mood today. Later, he sits on my boobs and nestles into my neck. Later still, he leans against me, at close to 45 degrees, and roars with purrs.

2. The four dogs run around together, a happy pack.

2b. Lily and the puppy next door run back and forth trying to see each other around the fence. They can’t wait to meet properly.

3. The salty ham, the creamy cheese.