A hair cut, a walk into town and SATC

1. My first wonderful thing today was getting my hair cut by Stacey at Saks on Daveygate. I telephoned this morning on the off chance that I might get an appointment today and it was perfect timing. I don't really feel comfortable going to regular gentleman's hairdressers (well sometimes I do). But I've been having my hair cut by this very nice woman for a while now and wonderfully if I don't feel like chatting she just gets on with it. Today was different. I arrived and had my hair washed and conditioned and massaged by a very cute young man called Ben. He did it beautifully and skillfully especially the head massage which was heavenly. Then Stacey did the cut with scissors as usual. In my head I'm Charlotte from SATC but in reality I'm a bit more of a 50 plus bloke with grey bits. It was lovely though and we had a very jolly conversation about football (? I know it seem pretty unlikely, but I was trying to project my masculine side) and the weather. Mostly pretty safe.

2. Being able to walk into town and back, save on carbon and get some exercise is wonderful. I did buy a linen jacket from Zara in Coney Street, have lunch in Nando's and get some bananas. I'm hoping that the walking offsets some of the carbon emissions those things took to produce. I doubt it though. But I enjoyed the sunshine and the walking chat.

3. My third beauty today has to have been "Sex And The City". We went to City Screen (having bought tickets earlier), bought a beer (which you can take in to the movie with you...how wonderful is that?) and arrived in time to watch the Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte clones arrive with their hagfags and male walkers. Perhaps because there must have been races again today people were quite jolly and well turned out. It was a feast for the gay eye on the straight guy. It was like a sausage machine...but perhaps that's another tale. The movie was very funny. At least it was funny as anything I've seen in a long while. It's not though quite a movie more several episodes of TV back to back...but still great. It presents a very affectionate and generous portrait of the characters. An on line friend reminded me that it was probably made to press everyone's buttons and it certainly did that for me. All the way through I kept thinking about how wonderful it is to be in love and how unforgettable it is even when the person is gone or unavailable. I can't actually think of one person I have been in love with, that I don't continue to desire and think about to this moment. It was a feel good feature. That doesn't seem too harmful. Actually by the end of the evening I realised that having started the day by identifying with Miranda, I had moved on and found myself in each of the others. While I'm mentioning beautiful things I feel its important to point out that the character Steve, (Miranda's husband played by David Eigenberg) deserves and gets a very special place in my heart. So go see it.

A fill of happiness, Hilary Benn and a sauntering gentleman

1. I had more than my fill of happiness today. It stayed inside me, just enough delicious trace to keep me warm and content and glad to be alive. I think that's a good start to whatever comes next.

2. I went to a meeting organised by Hugh Bailey this evening to discuss the Climate Change Bill at the Friends Meeting House. Hilary Benn the Environment Secretary gave a short speech and answer a good range of questions from the audience. He made some inspiring statements and presented his answers with eloquence, calm and convincing reasoning. He made a couple of points that were reminders that there is a positive effect individual responsibility and that reaching consensus is difficult but that action is harder. In the present economic and social climate it could be very easy to become distracted and put aside concerns about what's happening to our planet, the "Inconvenient Truth" that Al Gore spoke up about. The second fear was that it is easier for us as individuals and for our governments to hope that someone else will deal with the problem and that it would simply disappear. It won't. Even if those of us with the superb good fortune to live in this prosperous and educated part of the world were to leave today and move to Mars we would leave behind a home that has been damaged so badly by our past actions that those left behind would continue to struggle to survive and live well in it. I liked him.

3. On the way home, walking down Coney Street and handsome middle-aged race-gone gentleman was standing in the middle on the street insisting that the taxis wait behind him and give way to his sauntering and jolly promenade. He walked slowly and certainly along in his smart suit and his umbrella like a staff in front of him. Perhaps he was drunk or maybe he just wanted to take it slowly and enjoy the evening air. He was heroic. The taxi drivers eventually got angry and tried to overtake him. He was having none of it. A little comedic altercation ensued but I didn't wait around to see how the parade ended. I cheered him in my heat for his audacious little protest and walked on.

Man with a big pipe, Wigginton Road Nurseries stall and a smile from the heart

1. A man was walking down Ousegate Bridge with a 12 foot length of black plastic waste water pipe he'd just scavenged from the building work going on at the old Veranda cafe. He had a big smile on his face (and he was cute too). It was a comedy scene from a Buster Keaton movie as he navigated the busy street, crossing the road, missing the windscreens of passing cars, just missing toppling an old giffer lady at the traffic lights and negotiating his doorway with his big pipe before disappearing as if by magic. It put a smile on my face and the people passing by and for once we also smiled at each other too. It was precious.

2. I bought some gorgeously scented, creamy-white stocks from the Wigginton Road Nurseries flower stall on Newgate Market for Joan. I think this bloke has the best stall on the market. Today he was also selling the prettiest bunches of English peonies. He always seems to have good stock and he's friendly and efficient. On Saturday mornings I often sit in the window of Pret a Manger which faces his stall and smile while having coffee. I always enjoy the people watching and particularly those who try to figure out which flowers to buy for their loved ones from this bloke.

3. I'm grateful to on-line friends who help get me through some tough stuff. I just offended someone though which makes me feel pretty stupid and sad. However I expect he will find that round the next corner there will be something wonderful. I'm usually pretty optimistic about that and today, in the lunchtime sunshine I felt that anything good could happen and I smiled and people smiled back. To my online friend, please accept a smile from the heart. Nothing better or less.

A little bit thicker, damp drizzle and simple beauties

1. Before I went to work this morning I read through my posting yesterday and was tempted to take it off. It was a bit precious and silly and blurtie, and seemed a bit pretentious on reflection. In my defence, actually I don't have to be defensive at all, but if I had to be I'd say it poured out from my heart. I went to work listening to Rufus Wainwright singing "...everything it seems I like's a little bit stronger, a little bit thicker, a little bit harmful for me...." I say along as loudly as I could, probably a frightening sound for anyway within hearing distance and played it three times through. Anyhow the thing was that like he says in his song "...if I should buy jellybeans, have to eat them all in just one sitting..." and that's pretty much how I've been feeling this last few days. Greedy for more.

2. The weather is sort of changing in York, its been grey and slightly damp today. I love the misty damp rain. I was feeling sleepy in my office this afternoon so I got sent out for a stroll in the fresh air and the drizzle, it was lovely. I returned damp and refreshed and managed another couple of useful hours fiddling with my reports and trying against the odds to get them right.

3. I'm endlessly thrilled and amazed by an unexpected interest and kindness. I had three simple beauties today. On the way to get the fresh air I met one of my managers on the stairwell and we had a very fresh, almost flirty conversation about caring for customers, internal and external! Then there was a colleague who helped me complete a little task. There was a time when she wouldn't have given me a moments consideration but today we achieved a tiny miracle together and solved a problem. It was very unexpected. Finally, well hopefully not really finally a nice chap chatted on line with me for a bit, a complete stranger just passing the time of day. It was an encouraging few moments realising that there are great people to interact with all around me. Hooray!

4am, Lizzie's birthday and Until Forever

1. At 4am I was awake to see and hear the dawn and felt it was a privilege to be alive. Once again I was reminded that there is potential for joy and humour at any moment and that the best of them are completely unexpected and gracious. The chances of being really intimate with people can sometimes seem so remote. I sat in the garden with a cup of tea thinking about the day and night past and felt full of a gooey warmth inside and realised that the world was a more beautiful place than yesterday. Exhaustion caught up with me and I went back to bed to sleep for a couple of hours.

2. I went off to Manchester to celebrate my niece Lizzie's fourth birthday. When I arrived my family were there to greet me with hugs and kisses and happiness. Lizzie was very excited to be the birthday girl. It was a very happy day, it was the very best of days. I met my nephew Denis for the first time. There was no shyness or reserve and this charming and beautiful little boy hugged me when I arrived as if we had always known each other with an unconditional sweetness that will be with me forever.

3. This was a day that was made immeasurably wonderful by being loved and cared for. Perhaps for the first time ever I felt I was part of my family. Probably that isn't so very remarkable but I spent almost no time with my brother as a child (we lived separately) and I met my sisters I only when we were nearly all adults and full of separate and non-converging lives. In the years since we met our lives have in some ways not been so very kind and opportunities to be together so few and so far apart that I can count and recall the occasions and events with little more than one hand. The last couple of days have been emotionally charged with surprises and turns of direction and understanding that I couldn't have predicted even if I had considered it a possibility. Today's three things are coded with experiences and feelings which are impossible for me to put adequately or meaningfully into words. And I find I feel ridiculously happy and sad all at once. Although I miss the friends and lovers I've lost touch with, respectfully and with great waves of love and passion I'm so grateful to them and those I spend my time with now. Until Forever loved ones.

Caramel, The Indian Lounge and My Calender

1. I went to City Screen to see "Caramel" with Allan. It was really charming movie set in Beruit about four ladies who work in a hair salon and their friends. It's a funny and lovely little film about love and friendship. Nothing novel there you might think and perhaps it's also a fag chick flick I suppose although that's just a very stupid description. The bloke who wrote the screenplay for SATC was complaining on the radio that some people interpret that story as a thinly disguised tale of four gay men in New York (frocks, fucking can't fermember the third "f"). He Thought this was insulting to strong and determined independent women. Whatever. I'll go to see it anyway and probably enjoy the campness. "Caramel" was beautiful and described any group of friends who love each other. I had a great time, I actually laughed out loud. Not LOL. Actually out loud. Wonderful. Be warned though there are images of male and female leg waxing with warm caramel. Ouch!

2. Afterwards we went to eat at The Indian Lounge on Swinegate. It's my second trip there. The food is very good I think. No sloppy, oily sauces just fine and well spiced Indian/Aisian food of good quality with gentle and generous service. They don't seem to have a web page but my link takes you to a review from The Press which has all their details.

3. I often struggle to find a third beautiful thing. The first two are usually quite easy. But then I remind myself that I am surrounded by people and things that give me a lot of pleasure and help me to get on to whatever comes next. Allan was a big part of my day and he makes everything good for me. He's gone off to the south of France to a conference so I'm feeling a bit lonely without him here. I was looking through my collection of photographs from the last few years that we've been together. I tend to take pictures when we go away on holiday and I found some from a trip we made a few years back to Oregon and Washington State in North America. Looking through them gives me a warm glow of happiness and excitment. One of the things I enjoy the most is preparing an annual calender which I send out at Christmas as a way of keeping in touch with people and it usually has my favourite pictures from my trips with Allan. Amazingly my friends seem to have it up on the wall when I visit which gives me a kick. So today I was looking through my May and June calender pages at stuff marked up to do and people to see and it was beauwtiful.

Laura, making tea and Transformer

1. Laura got a offered a job today which is fantastic news. She is one of the most talented and beautiful people I know. I agree that I have a certain amount of prejudice here...her creative work always astounds me with its originality, skill and humour. The portrait to the left is one she made for me and it's formed from origami flowers and mounted on canvas. I love this piece and it gives me joy every day. She will find the perfect context to share the wonderful objects she creates with other people and perhaps make a living from it. I look forward to that day, but until then I have the privilege of owning a few of her lovely pieces.

2. James suggested that I should add making tea for my colleagues at work as one of my happy three. A good suggestion because I do enjoy doing it. I think I'd be a good waiter...actually years ago I did a bit of busing at Mothers Cafe on the Kings Road in London. I can't really remember how well that went (or not) but I have thought that I would like to run a bed and breakfast sometime in the future. We have a friend called Jo on the Isle of Skye who has a B&B in Ullinish called Foxwood. She built her house which has beautiful and uninterrupted views of the Cuillins. The rooms are comfortable, the one we have stayed in has a sauna and jacuzzi in the bathroom. The breakfast is prepared by Jo with organic and (where possible) locally sourced ingredients and Jo is a generous and welcoming host. Her business is an inspiring model. I can imagine setting up a business like this in Scotland too. It's a dream for now so in the meantime I practice serving people with cups of tea. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon.

3. At the end of my working day I got chatting to Phil about iPod music...thanks to him I got to leave early today, which was a much appreciated kindness. He had accidentally download from iTunes a Bette Midler song...how is it possible to make that much of a mistake? He claimed that he was falling asleep whilst in the process and wasted 79p as result. OK. Whatever. I'd have been happy with a Bette Midler track but then I'm a raving queen...so today's music playing on the pod of joy was Lou Reed's "Transformer". Slightly oddly, the settings have changed so that the pod is playing the tracks of albums at random rather than in sequence. This is OK usually but somehow very wrong with Transformer. This is one of my 'perfect ten' albums that I would be happy to listen to until forever. I think it goes almost without saying to anyone who knows this record that the song "Perfect Day" is a small piece of heaven on vinyl. The drawing of the album cover is from the Flickr page of Jet-pac and is a truly brilliant interpretation of the original. Jet-pac's sketchbooks are phenomenal.

City Screen Bar, a Little Banging Hangover and Loaf of Jeremy

1. City Screen Bar is far from cool but it is a good place to meet. The service is quite poor really and the food and drink is over priced even if you are a member and get your 10% discount, but there is something wonderful about it just the same. The view across the river to the ridiculous horrid Park Inn is not picturesque but its comforting. I went there last night to meet up with Sean to see a Finnish band play in the Basement Bar. We sat around and chatted and drank beers. It was pretty good, putting the world to rights, and somehow it got late and we missed the band. Eventually the bar was closing and we wandered off for a last pint and eventually ended up in the Punch Bowl pub on Stonegate. It was almost deserted, the football being over, another pint was downed and it was half past midnight. I excused myself and said "bon nuit" and wobbled off home. It was an evening full of friendliness and shedding caution and talking about stuff.

2. The consequence of drinking that much (not really that much but for me it was), was a banging little hangover when I woke up much too soon this morning. I felt a bit delicate but I had to journey to Leeds for a day of training at Civica. I was feeling a bit rough when I got off the train (which had been delayed by about 20 minutes) and had to make my way to the Dewsbury Road at some speed. I listened to Snow Patrol's album "Eyes Open" which along with the timely release of adrenaline got me there. Fortunately the trainer was a really excellent person called Pippa who I met earlier in the year at the Civica offices in Bath at another training. This lady is, in my opinion, a very effective and focused teacher. The day was productive and useful. I kept up a re-hydrating routine (which is still in force) and by the time the return journey came around I was definitely feeling like a much more balanced human.

3. I decided the thing that would complete the perfection that was Thursday would be to make a loaf of bread the Ian Wilson way....I made a reference to his You Tube video a few days back on how to make a loaf of bread. But having chatted to him I think he may have abandoned the hand made technique in favour of a bread machine. It's probably sensible. I am determined to get this bread-making thing conquered. So this evening I have made a loaf of bread which looks pretty good and will I hope eat well too. I'm feeling pretty grateful today that I have to time, energy and resources to do this on a whim. Ian's video was accompanied by the Scissor Sisters, mine was accompanied by a brilliant interview by Jon Snow on Channel Four 7 o'clock news with Gore Vidal. GV was bright and angry and made me laugh and cheer (I don't think he likes Mr Bush Jr that much).

Here is my finished loaf, it's hot, smells gorgeous

and I call him Jeremy.

John Hegley, Banksey and Chelsea gardens

1. John Hegley's poems are unexpectedly great. Sean lent me two slim volumes: "Can I Come Down Now Dad?" and "Five Sugars Please". The latter contains a brilliant little poem which SOD pointed to as one he really likes and relates to. It's called "Talking about my feelings ain't my cup of tea". This little poem is a very elegant summary. Here's a few of lines I particularly like from it....
"....I keep my cards so near my chest
even I can't see the way I feel.
I used to be closer to my emotions
or maybe they were close to me.
In the past I've been very open
the last time was when I was twenty-three
months.
They say bashing pillows is beneficial
and it helps to hug a tree.
They say problems shared are problems halved
but they don't say it to me
because revealing how I'm feeling it isn't my Darjeeling".

2. Banksy is a hero. I like his work a lot. Sean was kind enough to give me his spare copy of "Wall and Piece" which is a collection of photographic images of Banksy's artwork graffiti published in 2006. Sean bought this book at a remaindered price which has a certain perfect irony to it. One of my favourite images (of many) is of the two policemen kissing. Years and lifetimes ago I lived in Nottinghill just off Portabello Road. I had a friend there, Geoff Marsh, a gorgeous human being who used to do typesetting for International Times and who had a thing for making (clever and intelligent) graffiti especially and particularly added as comments or additions to billboards. I should never had let that friendship slip away. I was horrible. Sorry Geoff. You are a diamond.

3. I think that Chelsea Flower show might be a bit overrated but I would say that as I have never yet been. I watched the television programme tonight on BBC2. One garden which won a gold and was incredibly beautiful. The Laurent-Perrier Garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith. Green is this years green at Chelsea which makes me feel very cool because most of my garden is green too. And, incredibly, I meant it to be like that....I find both gardens beautiful. But mine is in York.

Dodeatheon, I know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too and Freecycling

1. Dodeatheon is a very beautiful little plant that grows in the damp patch. There are lots of very cheerful flowering plants in the garden today but this one is definitely the queen. I have been messing around with Flickr and thinking about uploading some of my photographs there. I've been inspired by other people's photoblogs but as Ian pointed out there's no point in posting them if nobody looks...oh well I'm going to do it anyway. And its Chelsea week too....

2. Martha Wainwright has made a new album "I know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too". I'm loving this album on one play. Its made York a very fine audio place today. My favourite track is "Bleeding All Over You" which contains the brilliant line that makes up the album title. I seem to have a pretty low tolerance threshold with her brother Ruffet, (although I still can listen to his album "Poses" over and over again when the melancholy takes me over). Whatever this record has cheered me up today. Oooh! "You Cheated Me" another great track. Who could have predicted that Martha has been recording the events of my life? Enough! It's bweutiful.

3. York Freecycle is wonderful too. This morning I put a little 'wanted' request on the site and when I got home this evening a very kind gentleman in Acomb has kindly emailed to say that he has just the thing I need. I've offered stuff and been able to supply things which people have requested. Even though there is a general feeling in this house that we have just about all a reasonable person could want, Freecycle does offer a great opportunity for circulating the material manifestation points we call 'things'. The campaign to ignore the supermarkets is not going quite as well as I might have hoped. But as so often, it's better not to get attached to any one idea or plan. I think that it was an enlightened being who observed that the only thing you can reliably predict is that things will change. There might be some mileage in that thought. I'll have to think about it.

Red Chilli, Facebooking and Ian's brilliant bread video

1. I went to the Red Chilli Chinese Restaurant last night on George Hudson Street on my return from Sussex and Kate's' funeral. I was hungry. Several days of polite conversation and delicately eaten meals was beginning to take its toll. Inside the restaurant the atmosphere is busy and happy. The waiting staff were friendly and attentive and there was no irritating questioning about whether or not i was having a good time. The menu is unusual. I don't go for Chinese food very often because its seems so predictable and standardised. This menu is anything but that. I had stir-fried frogs legs in Grandma's special spicy sauce with egg fried rice and a Chinese beer. It was historic. They brought slices of orange at the end which was very refreshing followed by Jasmin tea. We were there for a couple hours. It's a very good place and definitely a beautiful thing in York. We will go again as soon a there's a good reason to.

2. Facebook has been around for a while and I know that it's so over but...in order to be able to see Emma's college ball pictures I needed to join...along the way I discovered there are other people I know out there...who would have thought? Mr William in Cambodia!? It's beautiful. Yeh!

3. Ian's bread video is pretty good. Actually it's brilliant. My recent attempts at baking bread have been less than great. Much to the disappointment of those hoping for something delicious in this household. I read some articles by Hugh Fearnly-Thing in my Sussex friend Hilary's "Country Living" magazines while I was away. Hugh was trying to encourage people to buy local produce and make food real. It's a good idea (if you have the time, money, social values whatever). And then on the train home yesterday I read the Money section of the Guardian (I was desperate) and a very good piece about inflation and food prices...which went on to discuss how to save money and reach middle-class enlightenment through bread-making.

St Nicks, carbon copies and Cut//Copy

1. St Nicholas Fields Environment Centre I was invited to the centre to meet with a group concerned to develop a business plan for the organisation. It had been quite a while since I had visited there and I had a chance to catch up with what has been going on there. Last year the group of people I work with went to the centre for a Team Green Away Day. It was pretty successful I think. I have a fondness for the centre and the ideas and ideals it promotes. Reducing my carbon footprint has become a working goal for my life and I'm always inspired by St Nick's.

2. The beauty of cc in an email is in choosing strategically who one chooses.

3. Cut//Copy "In Ghost Colours" this is a record which will probably become a big pop hit this summer. I really love it. The music is optimistic and fun and cheers me up when I'm on the way to work in the morning and makes me feel jolly when I'm on my way home.

Home, asparagus and chocolate cake

1. Getting home after being away.

2. Asparagus in butter with salt.

3. Baking chocolate cake for Little Phil's birthday.

Worcseter cathederal, Malvern Hills and a earch for a Nigella whisk

1. The crypt of Worcester Cathedral is quite fine. In fact the whole building is pretty spectacular. I had a good visit there today with Malcolm.

2. The sun was out and we walked to the highest point of the Malvern Hills. We were surrounded by gorgeous scenery across Worcestershire and surrounding counties. Malcolm was very happy to have walked to the top today and that made me happy too.

3. I searched Worcester for a replacement Nigella whisk…but there were none to be found. I therefore bought a wooden citrus squeezer. So much for my anti-materialism. I’m sure it will be very useful.

Auntie Em, a vicarette and a Ghanaian mortar

1. Auntie Em passed away just over a week ago and she was 99 years old nearly 100. She was one of the most inspiring people I’ve been fortunate enough to spend time with this lifetime. I probably met her about six or seven times. She wasn’t my auntie in a genetic sense, fact is she wasn't genetically connected to most of the people who called her “Auntie” but the status was a universal one. The last time I saw her, Allan and I turned up at her house to visit on the wrong day but it wasn’t a problem…she was there sitting in her chair wearing her pearls and polite black court shoes and a tasteful twin set, glamorous, beautiful and very bright. She was unconditionally accepting and interested in everything and everyone. She was a truly modern human being who had seen almost all of the 20th century and had embraced the 21st with extraordinary vigour and interest. I treasure the influence this person has had on my life and I will continue to rely on her enthusiasm for inspiration and hopefulness.

2. The funeral service was led by a vicarette. She was very beautifully turned out, power-dressed in a smart well-fitted black skirt and jacket, careful make-up and very nicely coiffured hair. She had a lovely smile and spoke warmly and generously. Turns out she was from Dallas, Texas and had been in Wath for the last three years and used to be an executive with AT&T. I was grateful for the chat and the smile and the flirting. I might have suggested that she looked a little like Linda Gray. She took it pretty well, for which I am of course grateful.

3. Later at Malcolm’s house I ground up some cumin and garlic and other spices in his Ghanaian mortar with a wood pestle which is the photograph. This is a wonderful handmade terracotta bowl with a spiral of ridges on the inside. It works perfectly. I want one. It’s a beautiful thing.

Merchant Taylors Hall, interesting colleagues and the Oriental Supermarket

1. The Merchant Taylor's Hall in Aldwark is an amazingly comfortable venue for meetings. I went to a 'diversity and equalities' theatre training thingy there today. A group of actors from Leeds performed a little play about how Council officer Tony deals with a complaint from a white trash slag called Brenda against handsome Mr Ali Shah the new proprietor of the local kebab house. The idea was for the audience to participate by stopping the action of the play and suggesting ways in which the interaction could be improved or to discuss the motives and underlying prejudices involved. I enjoyed the experience. It was good for me to realise that many of the colleagues there were so actively commited to fairness and honesty and that was demonstrated by comments and a few brave characters who got up to help act out the play. I actually managed to contribute something. Hooray!

2. The people I sat with were interesting and talkative. I was grateful for that because I've been to this sort of event before where people form into their natural working groups and don't interact. To my right was a very nice lady who works in the Guildhall and we chatted briefly about the Steve Galloway story. I asked if he was stepping down "to spend more time with his family"....but apparently not. I asked if he was"tired and emotional?"....apparently not. It seems he's feeling it's time for someone else to take the lead...OK. To my left was a colleague I have met a couple of times before we got chatting about homoeopathy and it turns out she like me trained and worked as a lay practitioner and had like me given it up (for quite different reasons though). We discussed the benefits of psychoimmuniology and discovered that we had a joint admiration for the Indian homoeopath Rajan Sankaran. Its good to talk, its always good to talk.

3. At lunchtime I went with a colleague from work to the little oriental food market in the Chinese shop just over Ouse Bridge. This little establishment is a treasure. The people in the shop are friendly, bemused and helpful. We were buying some stuff from the oriental food market part of the shop to make up a wok basket birthday gift for Little Phil's 21st birthday with a collection of money gathered from the office. They also sell some very groovy costume jewelry and oriental nicknack's.

Wild Hart, Spring Sunshine and Birkenstocks

1. Wild Hart is an excellent little shop at 21A Stonegate. It is one of my very favourite places in York to buy a little present, or find an unusual card or get the very best wrapping paper. York is supposed to be a great place for tourists to browse and purchase, I'm not convinced because most of the traps are dull, quotidian rip-offs with objects that you could probably find in any town. This shop is rustic and quaint which fits the bill but also quirky and actually friendly in an unexpected way. I went in there today in need of some birthday cards and was delighted once again to find some gooduns. The man at the till who's called Ian, is smiley and chatty and I've spoken to his partner on previous visits and she is really lovely too. I get a lot of pleasure coming here and I'm really grateful for the unusually genuine welcome.

2. The Spring sunshine has been wonderful during the last two days and I am blown away by how quickly people come out of the dowdy shells and break out in tee-shirts, shorts and aviators and smile as if they had perhaps not long done something pretty naughty or at at least planning to have fun very directly.

3. Which brings me to the joy that will be wearing my old Birkenstock sandals. I think I must have bought my current pair in about 1985 and I've worn them ever since here at home and all over the world from Hawaii to Lewis. They have completely moulded themselves to my feet so that when I slip them on they feel summery and happy. Today I was recommending them to my friend Sean at work and it's time for me to buy some new ones too.

Bank Holiday, Emma's 19th Birthday and telephone conversations

1. Bank Holiday Monday with sunshine.

2. Emma's 19th birthday. Happy Birthday Beautiful.

3. Long telephone conversations with friends in which we catch up with current gossip and remember the past generously.

Euphorbias, beetroot and cutting through spiritual materialism

1. This afternoon we went to visit the National Collection of Euphorbias on an allotment at Harthill near Sheffield. The collection is the work of a retired school teacher Don Witton. He has made an incredible garden on the corner of an otherwise pretty ordinary group of allotment. Mr Witton has been opening his garden to the public and privately for some time. I really love this genus and I have grown some plants from seed and Allan and I have planted others purchased from growers and garden centres. Mr Witton had quite a lot of plants for sale, but to be honest the best had gone by the time we arrived. I did however manage to by one (E. myrsinites) that we used to have in the garden but which died last year. The plant in the picture we think was E. x martinii. Later we went to Dobbies Garden Centre at Barlborough. This was a huge, sanitised garden centre, teaming with Bank Holiday weekend customers. I found another beautiful compact euporbia known as 'Tiny Tim" and it was bought for us by Allan's cousin who we went with. I am very fond of these plants and consider each of them to be jewel-treasures of our garden.

2. We went to Margaret's for tea afterwards and had a lovely spread. I especially enjoyed the pickled beetroot. I'd like to think it came directly from the row in her vegetable patch but I think Tesco is more likely. It was very fine though and reminded me that there are some things like the luxury of pickled beetroot for which I will be always grateful. Margaret was kind enough to give us three cherry tomato plants and let me dig up some Alchemilla for her garden to bring home for ours. Allan wonders if it might be A. vulgaris which is the commonest British species and just subtly different from A. mollis that we have all over our garden.


3. My third beautiful thing was to forgive myself for not getting it together to write yesterday. Nobody but me reads this stuff anyway so it hardly matters. Being attached to anything seems to be unwise. If the last week has taught me anything that can be summed up it might be contained in the title of a long-lost book by the slightly discredited Chogyam Trungpa Rimpoche "Cutting through spiritual materialism".

Made in Italy, bacon sandwiches and forget-me-nots

1. This is probably the best Italian cookbook I've ever come across. I like this book because Locatelli talks about why he enjoys eating and preparing food. His recipes are straightforward (mostly) and include instructions like "When you feel you are almost there...." (about making risotto). The book is full of passionate and loving descriptions of ingredients, and buying them and fiddling with them. The photographs are very generous and sensual. The images of handsome, proud suppliers particularly at the beginning of the book was enough for me to take it home just for the pictures. This one is a keeper.

2. Bacon sandwiches on Friday morning in the office is up there with my very favourite things in life which also remind me how very fortunate I am to be here. We usually go across the road to Sannies on George Hudson Street. They have recently moved two doors down into a new shop. It's very clean and bright now, but that's OK. Actually there is really nothing especially remarkable about this place except that it is absolutely honest. There are no frills. I went with an order for eight or ten people so I had to wait for a while as the sandwiches were being prepared. There was a queue out of the door, of workmen mostly, it was fantastic eye-candy entertainment for a Friday morning. The waitress flirted with one of them in particular, he blushed very appealingly.

3. The forget-me-nots are in full bloom in our garden which seems so appropriate this week.

Kate, thankfulness and Sigur Ros Takk

1. My dear friend Kate Weaver passed away this morning.

She was one of the kindest and loveliest people I have known. I first met her when I was a teenager and she has been an inspiration and influence on my life ever since. Kate had many lives within this one. She was a courageous artist. She was a great teacher. She was a very patient and kind listener. She kept secrets and gave sympathy. I feel especially honoured to be able to count her as a dear friend and mentor. The love and lessons she provided me were generous and realistic and I hope I can return that beautiful favour to others in the future.

2. I called Kate's daughter when I got this news. Whatever one says it doesn't really sum up how you feel. Well it didn't for me. I rather awkwardly said "I am so sorry for your news". C came back immediately saying "I'm not sorry, I'm happy for her" and at once I understood exactly what she was expressing. Joy and thankfulness that this woman had been in our lives.

3. The Sigur Ros album Takk seemed the appropriate music of the day and I felt somehow elevated and enlightened by it. I thought how wonderful life is with music in it.