Winkle.

Productivity in the office was low today. I popped out after lunch to get my nails painted at the wee Thai place round the corner. A shellac manicure for £17! They do an ace job. Back into the office to find that one of the girls had bought a birthday cake (a Colin-the-Caterpillar - the best kind of cake)... The excuse being that it was S’s birthday the following Wednesday. Tenuous. We ate cake and laughed a lot, and I decided to go chocolate-overload and have a cup of hot chocolate as well. It was a recipe for hyperactivity for the last couple of hours of the day, and unfortunately the energy was more directed into planning a walk tomorrow rather than a Scoping Report for an onshore gas plant.

After work, M suggested we go out for dinner as I’d cooked every night this week... I usually get home before he does and I think he feels a certain amount of guilt for the very 1950s way he comes home in his suit to find me slaving over his dinner. He shouldn’t – I was born in the wrong era. Anyhow, we headed out to The Courtyard, which is just over the road from my office, and had the most amazing 4-course meal. To start, fresh bread with olives, pesto and aioli. Then scallops for me, pigeon for M. We had the same main: sea bass with curried haddock risotto and crayfish pakora. I somehow managed to squeeze in a salted caramel cheesecake, and M polished off a banana and orange sticky toffee pudding. I have no idea how. We drank a nice Rioja Blanco, local beer and a thyme Tom Collins for me. The plan had been to go out for one or two more... But we were so over-full that we went home and fell asleep on the sofa instead. Woke at midnight, with the TV still on, and crawled into bed. That’s what happens when you have a long week.