1. I finish an unpleasant task a lot quicker than I expect which means I have time for a walk with the cats in the woods. They bounce and chase through the decaying leaves then follow me home.
2. I learn about herbs from one book and wild foods from the other. I can’t wait for Spring to kick in.
3. The new brushed cotton sheet is taut and heavenly.
1. Three reds in the pan – both the vermilion peppers and dark maroon kidney beans stand out against the rich tomato sauce.
2. Even though I’m scared of the semi-dark (thanks to a lifetime of why-won’t-the-light-switch-work nightmares), showers without the light on are strangely soothing.
3. Carbon meows excitedly after he returns from a brief, rare excursion to the outside world. He runs between us showing off how cold he is, before settling on a blanket to warm up again.
1. The toast is evenly brown and perfectly crisp. The pate is strongly flavoured but delicious, and stirs in me the desire to make my own. I add it onto my “things to make” list.
2. Throughout the day, all the cats visit me at my desk. They sit on my knee between my body and the table, and purr as I stroke their soft-soft chests while I work.
3. The water plunks when it hits the growing body of water in the cup but plinks! (with an exclamation mark) when it hits the edge.
4. Katherine and I watch dogs parading (in Best in Show) and eat Jaffa cakes, while Joe murmurs over the baby monitor.
1) Jeremy returns from the shop with an armful of mini cakes. The sugar high silliness starts before we’d even open the packets.
2) Eyes light up, fingers point, the woman at the fish and chip shop will be delighted – it’s snowing outside. Soon we’ll start talking about the inevitable, unnecessary traffic chaos that will ensue but for the moment, we enjoy the novelty of the sky falling down.
3) We exchange anecdotes and in-jokes over our Christmas meal. The food and the company are both excellent. The whole team together for the first time.
4) When we get home, we peek out onto the world transformed – the first time we’ve seen our garden and the woods filled with snow. The stray light from around and about is reflected back to us, letting us see further in the dark woods than normal. The snow on the balcony – around the cat flap – is undisturbed but with a bit of encouragement, Carbon steps out. He makes it a few steps before turning around and running back inside.
(Oops, forgot this one. It should be 3.5: I discover celery and honey go strangely well together, the second unexpectedly nice combination of the week. The first was strawberry flavoured sugar-free Calpol and toothpaste.)
Even before we finished unpacking, the house met with the (grainy, blue-tinged) cats’ approval.
They will get confused when there is more than one way in and out of the house. We will trip over them less.
© 2024 Louisa Parry
