Marvellous

Ahem.

Well. Of course, no awards ceremony is truly complete without a Thank You, a deep and heartfelt Shout Out to those who are ‘behind the scenes’.

Susan’s friendship, something real and tangible, I wouldn’t have thought possible. We live on opposite sides of the world, in completely different time zones. From the moment we tentatively corresponded with one another, my writing improved. Markedly and dramatically.

Master baker, fellow spice lover and weaver of exquisite, delicate stories, Susan, you never fail to Make My Day.

Not that I'm getting gushy or anything...

Autumn market finds

Shopping somewhere new, sharing the experience with someone whose sense of excitement over beautiful vegetables is matched by my own.

The generosity of the blogging community never fails to surprise and delight.

A shared lunch. Faster and more delectable than you can imagine.

Recipe, here.

Gifts that arrive in the post

Had the postman known what lay inside, surely he would have nabbed the parcel for himself. Luckily, he’s rather a busy man during the month of December. A jar of apricot jam, amber-hued and golden lay inside, a gift from this extraordinary woman. I tore the lid off and poked a greedy, exploratory finger in before I heard my mother's voice say, ‘Ahem, wouldn’t you like to thank Shula for her lovely, thoughtful, hand-made gift first?’

Whoops.

Thanks. It was gorgeous.