10 things

1. Jane from Petticoat Lane suggested I buy an orange cardigan from Boden to match my yet-to-be sewn skirt, so I did. I am weak. She is a very bad influence.
   
2. I have tweaked my cycle route to work. I now cycle through the Barbican complex and when I win the lottery I shall be buying myself a nice little penthouse there. It is my dream home, and I’m ignoring that little inner voice that says “what about the hens?” Sorry, girls.
   
3. I have just 10 more 6 x 6inch squares to complete for my monster quilt, before I can start the fun part of piecing it all together. And yet I am involved in endless diversionary tactics it seems. Why? It’s only 10 more squares, and I’ve already sewn 110 squares.
   
4. My tomato plants are now straggly and yellow. I need to cut them down and tidy up the back yard before any wet autumn weather really gets going.
   
5. My children have reached an age where I can sit in a coffee shop on a weekend with them, all of us reading sections of the same newspaper and drinking cappuccinos/fruit juice/cups of tea in a very civilised manner. Hurrah for the Saturday Guardian’s Comic section!
   
6. The excitement of handing out birthday party invitations in the playground is almost as great as the party itself.
   
7. Chocolate brownies made with ground almonds in place of part of the flour, will always have that lovely dense dampness to them. The lovely Annabel has a genius recipe in her After School Meal Planner book which I have been re-reading recently.
   
8. I think I need to grow my hair long again, so that it withstands the trauma of being squashed by my cycle helmet more elegantly.
   
9. I am wondering whether I should learn how to knit. See endless diversionary tactics under point 3 above.
   
10. C is taking guitar lessons at school. He completely loves it, and sings along to whatever he is playing so sweetly. I didn’t even know he could sing! I’m so proud of him that I made him a ‘Clever Hands Pie’ which tasted great, although looked possibly a little bit creepy.