Cats, Carpentry and Cold Case Crimes

1. On monday we had five cats in our front yard. Five- none of them belonging to us. They were lounging about under the hedge, like teenagers in a bedsit, trying to look cool, as if the reason for them all hanging out together was not that one of them was in heat. Next day they were gone. I wonder if the owners of Mrs Tabith Twitchit are prepared to have kittens?

2. Monday afternoon we went to Housing Units of Hollingwood with Ruth. She's looking for a dining table. We found one made of reclaimed European oak which we all thought was fabulous. Sturdy, honest, beautiful. And for £700-1 you also get four equally unkillable chairs. I took photos so she could show them to Keith. Just look at the grain on that!



3. We've watched the whole of the latest series of Waking the Dead. Uneven of course, sometimes frankly incredible, but the premise- using the investigation of cold case crimes to examine political and social issues of the recent past- is neat.  Last night's final show was the best of season. The case was a war crime committed during the conflict in Yugoslavia and the treatment was emotionally literate (which isn't a given) and so painful I kept finding myself wanting to look away. Waking the Dead isn't a cult show, but it's capable of great things- and the stars- especially Trevor Eve, Sue Johnson and Tara Fitzgerald- are terrific.