So often I'm bitching, so here's a bookmark and aide-memoire that this was a lovely day.

Spent it baking R's birthday cake in Heather's kitchen, watching her veg patch grow in the suntrap garden and walking the Reekster dug over-by the fields, where the thistles are taller than we. It's an abandoned mill farm, but the raspberry canes and the fruiting cherry tree continue to provide sweeteners for the walk. We've had all the rhubarb out of the kitchen garden already.

Monday Heather is taking me to the pick-yer-own berry farm for strawbs, and she'll teach me how to make her homemade jam- nectar on a bagel. This week the kids and I have been living off stewed rhubarb and baked peaches with Greek yoghurt, and baba ghanoush and diamond potatoes roasted with garlic and rosemary, served tiede . No one wants anything warm to eat in this heat anyway, or any meat.

Went looking for radish from the Chinese veg shop and ended up with daikon today, which grated with carrot, drained and dressed with rice vinegar and coriander leaf, makes a tasty salad. I'm not sure he even charged me for the daikon, and always knocks something off for produce past its best. I'm on at them to get the flat-leaf parsley back in stock, which is becoming a running joke.

No, I didn't get the job apps in. Maybe just not ready.