Based on the Three Beautiful Things project by Clare Law, I try to write about three pleasant things from my day.
1. When we wake up, there is an email waiting for us — a video submission for Ukepedia. We smile and laugh as James sings about Fozzie Bear, delighted at the effort he’s put in (8 minutes, 16 seconds!) and amused by how it came about.
2. The sun is setting as I walk back from the post office and the old stone cottages at the other end of the road look glorious in the warm light.
3. The tart is sharp to start but that fades away to leave behind a soft, buttery conclusion.
1. We hear some great, if unsurprising, news from friends.
2. We take Boron back to the vets for a blood test to make sure his dicky tummy is nothing more serious – after Sili’s stomach cancer last year, we’re paranoid. At lunchtime, the vet phones to say everything has come back completely normal, he’s probably just eaten something that’s disagreed with him. His little shaved patch on his neck feels like suede.
3. When I get ready to make it, I realise I’m missing some key ingredients for our cottage pie. I improvise with what I have got and it turns out a lot lighter & more flavourful than the more traditional version.
1. “This wood will keep you warm next winter,” I tell Carla as she watches me pull thick branches from the giant pile and stack them on the dormant flower bed. Further down the garden, John is building a platform where the wood will season while I’m sorting it from the twigs (which will be chipped and used under our chicken run) and the ivy (which had been strangling the tree and will now be composted). The garden is so much lighter without the sycamore’s shadow.
2. The giggles and screams as John tricks people on ChatRoulette.
3. The worst thing about World of Warcraft is all the travelling about so I like it when I have a string of quests to complete on the way. I loop through the Hinterlands with perfect efficiency and level up twice when I cash in all the completed tasks at Revantusk Village. The game’s combination of micro tasks and multiple possible paths is deeply rewarding and I wonder how I could organise projects in my real life to be as pleasurable.
4. I finish reading ‘All my friends are superheroes’ by Andrew Kaufman. I enjoy the physical book as much as the story – super smooth ivory pages and a lovely choice of font.
5. Another day sorting and stacking wood. It’s pleasing to sweep up the last of the sawdust when the giant pile has finally gone.
6. The sieved flour disappears into the liquid almost instantly, leaving behind just a ghostly trace.
1. The tree surgeon brings his dogs with him: the little girl watches her human and pines when he dips out of sight while the sleek but strong black lab pads about the garden carefree. Throughout the day, I nip out to check on them and to talk to them, and Katherine comes over earlier than planned to meet them too. I can’t wait until we have our own.
2. Sat up on the sofa, Joe looks almost like a real person.
3. I just don’t know how they make the onions so delicious. I could eat them all day.
1. They walk to meet her at the train station but end up meeting on the corner. He explains they were running late because it took longer than he thought to put on the dog’s coat. She picks up the jacketed Westie for a hug then hugs him too. They walk away together, holding hands over the leash, as she tells him about her day.
2. The shelving units – to be fitted in the dining room after the decorator has done his thing – arrive while I’m out. The wood is beautifully smooth to the touch and I’m delighted by the attention to detail – the handles, the hinges, the catches – on the cupboards.
3. The casserole is a bit of a hodge-podge but very welcome and warming.
1. We’re talking about the different personalities of her three dogs and she tells us that Jack is a bit of a clown. As soon as she says it, he stops his frantic exploring and looks at her with a super serious, hurt expression on his face. Perfect comedy timing from the canine.
2. The fish falls apart with the slightest touch; bright white flakes amongst the rich spicy crust.
3. Even though the screen tells me that it’s due, it’s still a joy when the bus suddenly appears.
4. On the bus, I’m reading a sad story about a cat (the bit about Neil in David Sedaris’ ‘Youth In Asia’ essay) when I hear a meow. At first I think I’ve imagined it since I’m prone to auditory hallucinations of that nature but looking around, I spy a ginger cat in a cat basket across the aisle. She meows again then curls up in a ball.
© 2025 Louisa Parry