1. It rains all day, which puts a decided crimp in my (allotment) plans but makes the cats wonderfully clingy. After I move him from my chair, Kaufman hangs out on my desk all morning. Later, when he and I are stretched out on the bed together, Tilda minkles around the bedroom meowing (the only time all day she leaves her chair in the living room). And later still, Strange has lap hugs while we chat to P: as she kneads the air, her paw pads are bubblegum pink.

2. Now that I don’t have to write all day every day, I enjoy the process so much more. My fingers need a burst of top typing speed exercise like a horse needs to gallop every now and then.

3. I often eat lamb (or lamb mince) curries but wanted something perkier today. The chicken handi is light and fragrant.

1. A marvellous post delivery – beautiful books that I was expecting later in the week and two rebates (totalling £250) that I wasn’t expecting at all.

2. The woods are gorgeously still and sun dappled. The leaves seem to relish the light – it’s like they know they’re approaching their last hoorah.

3. After a light, healthy summery dinner, we fancy the opposite: a hearty winter pudding. We have our first (jam roly) poly in years and it doesn’t disappoint.

1. As a(n undeserved) break from my WIPs, I crochet another shopping bag. It ends up being a bit of a bodge but I like the outcome. It takes me longer than I thought to get through it but then I reason that the last one had lasted us about eight years so far so an afternoon and evening’s hard hooking isn’t too bad.

2. Tilda has taken to the chair again now that John has moved some boxes. She looks so very black against the colourful blankets.

3. We shrug off more sensible dinners and have some long awaited burgers instead.

1. Even though I feel like we faff around a lot before going out, I’m still pleasantly surprised by the time when we finally get in the car.

1b. We bump into friends – J & V – at the chicken feed store. We joke about our courgette gluts and old hens.

2. Warm – but not hot – sunshine as I walk to the plot. The heavy bag I bring back with me.

3. Our friends arrive while John’s out with Lily and I’m in the shower. They let themselves in and make themselves tea. We apologise for our special skill of even being late for events that happen in our own home.

3b. Lily snuffles for her Bonio. She knows it’s here, somewhere, but all these people are distracting.

1. The rain tells me to have a day off and I listen.

1b. The roar of the rain and stream.

2. I finish the first WIP off my August Amnesty list: my “Seahouses” blanket. I loved the colours of the initial squares but then felt increasingly meh towards it as I bordered them in school uniform grey. Now it’s finished though – and viewed from a distance while draped over a chair – I like it again.

3. Oreo Dairy Milk.

1. This batch of courgette fritters are better than the last – not as many flowers unfortunately (just the few I can rustle up from the garden) but a chilli adds interest, and they’re cooked better too. We eat too many though, as usual.

2. John misses his bus – we have time for a cup of tea and a spot of gaming before the next one.

3. Lily keeps pulling me towards shorter routes and when it starts raining, I finally pay attention. We cut down a little used path and find a fallen tree with a massive rock embedded in its roots.