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Based on the Three Beautiful Things project by Clare Law, I try to write about three pleasant things from my day.

Not a working lunch, play time, farm life

29/6/2010 / / 0 Comments

1. The table is full of food and we all graze and chat in the sun.

2. One of Lily’s best friends (a white Staffy called Tia) breaks loose from her owner and comes running up our garden to play. Lily hears her approach and gives a plaintive groan – she’s not allowed down to that bit of the garden without our supervision. I follow her out and they run around together before Tia’s owner calls her back.

3. The size of the towns & villages decreases the further we move out from the city but soon we’re there. The fuzzy black dog wanders around lazily in the sun, unperturbed by the loud turkey and when he opens the barn door, she sits down inside amongst the chickens. He bundles four of the ginger birds into our box and we take them home.

3BT – five from after dinner

24/6/2010 / / 0 Comments

1. The red, yellow, pink and white are all tinged with black.

2. I put some Encona (scotch bonnet pepper) sauce in the marinade and while it doesn’t overwhelm, it is definitely there. John runs out for the bus with his last skewer and texts ten minutes later to say his lips are still tingling. Mine are too.

3. A second evening of reading in the garden after dinner of the week. While I read, I listen to Kathryn Williams‘ Little Black Numbers and Bonnie Prince Billy‘s The Letting Go. I fell in love with both albums on a lovely long weekend on Lindisfarne in 2007, which even though I had to work for a few hours each day, was wonderfully relaxing. The albums catapult me back into that state whenever I listen to them – not that I need much help relaxing tonight: a good book, cats and birdsong.

4. As I refill the slug traps, I notice that the dark shiny courgettes will be ready for picking this weekend – I can’t wait!

5. Lily is noticeably absent from the al fresco reading session. I don’t mind as we’re trying to encourage her to not stick to us like glue all the time but eventually I get up to look for her and check she’s ok: she’s stretched out on the dining room floor, looking longingly at the door John left through. She deigns to join me at various points throughout the evening but her heart is elsewhere. She’s fast asleep though when he finally comes home and I have to interrupt her dreams to tell her he’s back – she runs downstairs so fast she nearly falls and circles him again and again before pulling him back up to bed. Lily loves her dad.

3BT – five from after dinner

24/6/2010 / / 0 Comments

1. The red, yellow, pink and white are all tinged with black.

2. I put some Encona (scotch bonnet pepper) sauce in the marinade and while it doesn’t overwhelm, it is definitely there. John runs out for the bus with his last skewer and texts ten minutes later to say his lips are still tingling. Mine are too.

3. A second evening of reading in the garden after dinner of the week. While I read, I listen to Kathryn Williams‘ Little Black Numbers and Bonnie Prince Billy‘s The Letting Go. I fell in love with both albums on a lovely long weekend on Lindisfarne in 2007, which even though I had to work for a few hours each day, was wonderfully relaxing. The albums catapult me back into that state whenever I listen to them – not that I need much help relaxing tonight: a good book, cats and birdsong.

4. As I refill the slug traps, I notice that the dark shiny courgettes will be ready for picking this weekend – I can’t wait!

5. Lily is noticeably absent from the al fresco reading session. I don’t mind as we’re trying to encourage her to not stick to us like glue all the time but eventually I get up to look for her and check she’s ok: she’s stretched out on the dining room floor, looking longingly at the door John left through. She deigns to join me at various points throughout the evening but her heart is elsewhere. She’s fast asleep though when he finally comes home and I have to interrupt her dreams to tell her he’s back – she runs downstairs so fast she nearly falls and circles him again and again before pulling him back up to bed. Lily loves her dad.

3BT – skin tingles, head tickles, dusk chorus

22/6/2010 / / 0 Comments

1. I’m too hot but the room is cool. The air tickles my skin and I feel equilibrium returning.

2. Boron follows me into the bathroom and I ask him if there is anything he needs – there is food, water and he’s just had some milk. He rubs at my legs to say he just wants a bit of love. I take him back out to the sunny window seat and he purrs and purrs while I kiss his head and rub his chest.

3. After dinner (the first we’ve eaten inside for nearly a week), I take my book outside. Around me the world slowly gets cooler and suddenly all the birds start singing their pre-dusk songs. The cat on my knee and the dog by my side watch with tails wagging as the woodpigeons divebomb past us as they gather together for the night.

3BT – submerged-ish, I can make them, perfect purple

21/6/2010 / / 0 Comments

1. The barely-warm water hits my closed eye lids as I turn and suddenly I have a strong desire to go swimming again. I wonder if the pool around the corner is open again yet (I’ve just checked – it is) but I also want to go swimming outside. When I’m dry and dressed, I rush downstairs to tell John my brilliant day-trip idea.

2. I need more low planters for growing more salad leaves and it occurs to me I could make some – there is more than enough suitable scrap wood in our woodstore and I feel emboldened after my success making a wellie stand out of other scrap wood yesterday. Within half an hour, I have two foot-square planters, ready to be filled with soil and seeds.

3. We make “jazzberry” hands while admiring Katherine & John’s hard work in their spare room.

3BT – five beautiful things before lunchtime

20/6/2010 / / 0 Comments

1. When I finally wake up, she’s stretched out next to me, fully stretched out with her stumpy chicken legs pushed out behind her. I ask her if she wants to get up – it’s late and she must need a wee – but she buries her nose back under the duvet. Hearing my voice, Carla jumps on the bed for a cuddle and since it’s the only space available, she lies down next to her – not touching at first but then they are. By the time sleepy John turns over to see and we both coo at the cuteness of it.

2. Everyone is brunching in their gardens. The intermingling laughter and conversations draws people’s attention from the woods as they walk past the gap in the trees.

3. If someone made a perfume from the slightly sweaty, slightly caramelised smell of sun-touched skin, I’d buy it by the gallon.

4. Ditto “sweaty cat” – as I’ve said before, my most favourite smell. Carbon was more renowned for the smell but after sitting in her favourite spot on top of the woodpile, Carla smelled delicious too.

5. The oak trees are big enough for us to hide behind so without speaking, we do. Lily looks around confused, then runs to the spot where we’d been stood a moment earlier and looks into the mid-distance. Her face says “huh, where have they gone?” until the giggling gives away our location and we run together laughing/tail wagging.

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