It’s the little things

I’m finding it’s the little things that matter most at the moment. As the days merge together and none of us have a clue how much longer this will be going on for it’s the little moments that stand out and set days apart.

Last weekend I noticed that The Book Hive , our excellent local independent bookshop here in Norwich, are running a lucky dip on their website. For £10 they will pick one of the staff’s favourite paperbacks off the shelf and send it to you and for £20 they will send a hardback. In many cases the books cost more than the lucky dip price and there is no additional cost for postage. In addition to these two they are also running a cookbook lucky dip and that’s the one that I went for. Given the size of my cookbook library there was always the risk of receiving a duplicate but I needn’t have worried. Only two days after ordering, remarkably quick in the current circumstances, a copy of Syria – Recipes From Home dropped through my letterbox and I’ve been hooked from the moment I opened it. It’s beautifully photographed, full of fascinating recipes and I don’t think that I’ve ever relished having a new cookbook quite so much. I’ll admit that many of the recipes are going to require a post lockdown shopping expedition but somehow that doesn’t matter. It’s something to plan and look forward to. When I do get to cook from it I’ll definitely be sharing here.

Another recent day changing moment was when a birthday card and present turned up three months late. It was from my friend AlisonTyler who’s been going through some horrendous times since her husband had a stroke late last year. He is now home with her but as I know Alison is so busy looking after him I was moved that she’d found time to send something. A gesture that meant a great deal.