Three beautiful things in Leeds

2010-05-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

1. My little stray, Son of Bruce, is waiting for me under my car. I spy his nose as I look out of the window. He enjoys three pouches of food and wanders off. I often wonder where he lives. He's getting old now.

2. There's something strange going on with VW Beetles in Leeds. I pass one that, I swear, is dressed as a rabbit, actually furry, with ears, eyes and teeth. Later I pass one with every section painted a bright primary colour.

3. I realise I'm growing up. A tense meeting doesn't upset me. Instead it makes me resolve to do the next meeting differently and makes me feel I can do this, I can change things.

4. Two of my other bosses are nice to me today, with advice and smiles. The meeting with them in wasn't all that, but separately, I get further with them.

2010-05-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

1. The cats don't want to be in this evening - they want to be outside catching the last of the sun.

2. I realise some days how much I love my job.

3. Seeing Favourite Boss again and having a nice chat about things.

2010-05-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

1. I see Favourite Boss briefly. He sweetly apologises for not bringing the book he promised to lend me.

2. The cats are enjoying the sunshine. They come in smelling hot and grassy.

3. Sometimes I love the waiting for a programme to start. Anticipation can be great.

2010-05-16T15:05:00.001-07:00

1. A new candle fills the house with vanilla scents.

2. A pink cupcake with a heart on top.

3. The exciting middle section of the new Tunnels book - I'm gripped.

2010-05-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

1. A long and luxurious afternoon nap that lasts from 12-5pm!

2. A brushing session for the cats in the sunshine. Fur floats around the back yard and April is in a frenzy of delight as moulting fur comes off.

3. The scent of washing powder as the washing dries in the sun.

2010-05-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

1. I see a friend today. Last time I saw her she was stressed and unhappy and today, after giving up the job that was making her unhappy, she is bright and back to her old self.

2. We whip out our mobiles to compare cat pictures.

3. A pretty plant as a present makes the office smell lovely.

2010-05-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

1. Fish and chips for tea

2. Bath bombs fizz and pop in the bath, leaving petals on the surface of the water.

3. I join the modern age as my work blackberry turns up at home. Or blueberry as my friend calls it.

2010-05-12T10:56:00.001-07:00

1. A tiny wrinkled old lady with the most elaborate blonde updo I've ever seen, plus bright red lipstick!

2. It's nice to have the colleague who makes me cups of tea all the time back at work.

3. A friend's birthday - she likes my carefully chosen presents. She doesn't know one was "carefully chosen" only half an hour before I got to her house!

2010-05-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

1. A night of routine TV viewing turns into a historical moment as a new Government is formed.

2. I remember English GCSE and Mrs Hayes leaping into the room to tell us that Thatcher had resigned. I wonder where Mrs Hayes is now - she was a fantastic teacher.

3. I like how Dave Cameron seems to treat his wife in a sweet protective fashion.

2010-05-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

1. I misjudge the gym opening times so go for a walk instead. In Bramley Park, high above the City, I sit and admire the beautiful view across Leeds. I don't sit and watch and think often enough.

2. The dogs in Bramley Park are ultra-excited and freaking out about all the other dogs off their leads and chasing balls, sticks and each other. Amazingly there's no conflict.

3. A lovely warm bath with bubbles after an energetic walk.

2010-05-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

1. Driving to a course, a beautiful mini-wildflower meadow on a grass verge. Bright red poppies catch the sunshine.

2. Cuddling up with the cats - is there anything better in life?

3. Receiving sage advice from a friend. I like that all my friends are old enough and experienced enough these days to be able to give real advice. I remember when we were all young and didn't know anything. We're growing up...

2010-05-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

1. Another day seeing Favourite Boss!

2. A cunning plan pulled off at work - suddenly after a day of struggles I see that I'm on the right track after all.

3. Realising, in the middle of a slightly confrontational meeting, that the person I was a bit scared of has a shaking hand gripping her pen. She's not as tough as I thought. I realise there's vulnerability there.

2010-05-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

1. A tense staff session gets better as soon as Favourite Boss walks in to support me.

2. My little stray feral is waiting for me as I pull in to the drive. He looks a bit tatty, but has a full tummy after three sachets of Felix.

3. Getting home after a long day and feeling OK even though the day's had its ups and downs.

2010-05-04T14:05:00.001-07:00

1. I find out that my favourite boss trained as an artist and art teacher and have a lovely talk about favourite artists.

2. A fussy cat on my knee, calming down after her worries when I got home late

3. Thumbs up from the boss for all my plotting and planning at work.

2010-05-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

1. News of a new Fever Crumb novel being written!

2. My latest Waterstones order is on the way to fill up the few remaining spaces on my bookshelves.

3. Bank Holiday Monday gives me the opportunity to see a few friends I don't see often enough and analyse our respective work situations. Sharing is so good.

2010-05-02T12:42:00.001-07:00

1. A happy afternoon putting bookcases together and moving all the books onto them leads to many discoveries...books I'd forgotten I had, a few duplicates, some unread, some favourites and many bits and bobs of paper ephemera used as bookmarks and stored between books.

2. A Blue Peter letter from 1984 from a competition I'd entered. Original sticker and photo of Simon Groom, Janet Ellis and Peter Duncan inside (though sadly not the Blue Peter badge, wonder where that went?)

3. A lovely letter from my old piano teacher, now sadly passed away, on the occasion of my 18th birthday. I love this letter so much. The final paragraph is worth transcribing in full.

"I wish you a long and happy life and the realisation of all our dreams, whatever they may be. The world can be a hard and cruel place, and adult life in it may at times prove harder than you anticipate. There will be people who seek out your weaknesses and try to exploit them. Don't let them. There will be others who, with only your interests at heart, and not their own, will seek to enfold you with friendship, affection and love. Be true to yourself at all times, but welcome these into your life, for this, I am sure is what adult human life is all about."

4. A few tears of sadness for this lovely man who I knew from the age of 11 and who is no longer in the world with this wise counsel.

2010-05-01T05:38:00.001-07:00

1. A small act of kindness touches my heart. I love to look after people but also love being looked after.

2. Brushing the cats in the sunshine.

3. Analysing how the cats would vote - we have a Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem and unfortunately our rather less than tolerant cat is a clear BNP voter.

2010-04-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

1. A beaming smile from my favourite boss

2. The cats enjoy the excitement of a new cat food.

3. My once snug trousers now need hitching up every few minutes from where they settle past my hips. The weight is coming off as I feel happier about my life and my new job.

2010-04-29T15:16:00.000-07:00

1. Smiling encouragingly at a child as they read from the whiteboard.

2. An unexpected beautiful view as we leave a classroom to walk across the school grounds. I'd forgotten there was beauty in Leeds after 4 years working in a built-up and deprived urban area.

3. Unloading my worries onto a work colleague and getting understanding and support in return.

2010-04-27T08:59:00.001-07:00

1. Idling in traffic, lots of us are watching a large dog with a pannier full of leaflets over his back patiently helping his owner with her door to door posting! Everyone smiles at the novelty.

2. The squirrel and the fox at work - how lucky I am to work where I can see wildlife every day.

3. Waking up to find one of the cats tucked up happily under my arm.

2009-11-05T13:05:00.001-08:00

1. The smell of gunpowder in the air

2. Being safe inside with the cats as the skies explode.

3. The enjoyment of the close work bonds after years of working together.

2009-06-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

1. I'm tickled to be travelling behind a lorry owned by Steve Teasdale, UK and International Pigeon Transport. I love the obscurity of some people's jobs.

2. A long lunch shopping for a colleague's birthday. I never get to see the shopping centre during the day, only in the early evening when everything is closed.

3. A new idea in a meeting gives me the solution to a problem.

2009-06-16T15:13:00.001-07:00

1. Life drawing class starts again after a three week break.

2. We draw in the style of Giacommetti - loooong and thiiiiin people. Luckily the model is also long and thin!

3. Loving a video chat with Dad.

2009-06-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

1. I make inroads into the piles of papers littering the house - my mood rises

2. Working from home for most of the day and actually completing something without interruptions.

3. Bussy asserts herself and chases another cat out of the garden. I am so proud of her for being a proper cat instead of an inside teddy bear!

2009-06-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

1. Something catches my attention as a girl on a bike whizzes past me - it's her dog's head peeping out of the rucksack on her back. I smile for the rest of the journey at how happy he looked with his ears flying in the wind.

2. Oliver the stray is inside so much that he spends 11 out of 14 hours sleeping on the settee - he seems relaxed and happy.

3. The attraction of sitting inside the triangle of the clothes airer leads to a string of cats taking up position one after the other.

Stray update

2009-06-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

1. Much progress with Oliver the stray and a new time-share cat arrangement is in place. Oliver comes in for a sleep when Squinty (who doesn't approve of another stray cat moving in on his territory) goes out.

2. A colleague was off work with a slightly embarrassing condition, the sort you would normally be reticent about. His daughter though is happy to go around telling everyone that Dad has something wrong with his bum!

3. Spying a small ginger and white face under my car - Oliver the stray hiding from the rain when I was worried he wasn't coming this evening.

2009-05-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

1. The daisies have closed their petals round their faces for the night.

2. A beautiful view of the cityscape from the top of Broad Lane looking down the hill.

3. Tonight my little stray only eats when I'm outside watching over him.

2009-05-28T09:30:00.001-07:00

1. I come home for lunch and love being at home in the middle of the day - it feels almost illicit!

2. The book I got from e-bay costs considerably more than the 79p pencilled inside but I like to see initiative!

3. Oliver the stray plays with dandelion stalks in the back garden. Once the scratch on his nose has gone there will be no signs that he was ever a stray.

2009-05-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

1. I worry about my little stray cat until he turns up with a friendly chirrup and his tail in the air for a late tea.

2. I enjoy a conspiracy at work.

3. A lavender scented bath warms me up after a cold day in the office.

2009-05-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

1. I feel at peace on a day with no targets, no deadlines, no Monday morning anxieties.

2. The cats love their brushing session outside in the sun and chase joyfully after bits of their own fur that float around the back yard.

3. I keep smelling the perfume samples on my wrist from my wander round a perfume counter. I feel glamorous and grown up, like a proper woman.

2009-05-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

1. Waking up at 7.30 with a jolt, but snuggling back down to sleep until midday.

2. I love watching the cats in this close go about their important cat business on a sunny day.

3. Sharing the trials of a busy week with a friend and feeling my worries lighten.

2009-05-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

1. Snuggling up with a cat on my lap at the end of a long hard week.

2. The slightly hysterical silly email conversation between four of us in celebration of the impending holidays.

3. Noticing a mistake in a colleague's calculations that gave me an extra £17,500 through sending one email, the quickest amount I've ever raised!

2009-05-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

1. Waking up to a furry face as my first sight - one of the cats asleep on my chest.

2. Hitting the snooze button for an hour of extra sleep.

3. Feeling pride in a colleague pulling off a successful event.

2009-05-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

1. Oliver the stray behaves beautifully at the vets and is given a clean bill of health.

2. Waiting for the lights to change, a man crosses the road in front of me eating a creme egg in one massive bite - comfort against the day long drizzle.

3. Serendipity is on tonight - I am already looking forward to the obituary scene.

2009-05-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

1. I am at a course in what feels like the countryside but is in fact just 6 miles drive from Bramley.

2. Watching bunnies hop about in the fields around Leeds Trinity.

3. Getting my student pass for Leeds Trinity and getting excited about my new unfettered access to the library there!

2009-05-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

1. Catching the end of Serendipity on TV last night,

2. A book I ordered ages ago arrives unexpectedly.

3. A free lunch voucher for the canteen for my course today - which I spend on big fat chips as a treat on a cold, rainy day.

2009-05-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

1. I stop at the zebra crossing for a respectable looking lady - as she crosses I read her t-shirt, "If found return to pub"

2. Browsing round Poverty Aid's furniture warehouse amongst all the old fashioned dark wood sideboards, I remember my grandparent's house and setting the table for tea from their sideboard. And the tiny jam knife in the cutlery drawer that I always coveted.

3. My sibling cats curl up together for a loving wash - that inevitably turns into a fight!

The first post

2009-05-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Three beautiful things I saw today...

1. A couple kissing in the middle of the busy street; stroking each other's cheeks, gazing into each other's eyes, and smooching for minutes at a time in total oblivion.

2. The stray cat who comes for his tea every day washing his face - self esteem raised after two months of feeding.

3. The first flower blooms on the plants in the wheelie bin garden.