A jigsaw of drains

A man called Steve came round first thing to unblock a drain, with a good deal of vigorous and splashy plunging, and sharing of his opinions about the mysterious nature of drains. I've had more dealings with plumbers and drain people in my last few Brighton years, than I have had in the rest of my life. There is something symbolic about Brighton's dodgy labyrinth. 'It's like a doing a jigsaw,' Steve the drains said ruefully. And often with poos, I thought, feeling rather sorry for him.

After the excitement of scientifically filling sinks, flushing loos and so on, I got back to working on my business book, still grappling with the fundamental link between fashion and marketing, interrupted only by Calliope and Brian, who have taken to playfully chasing each other in a thundering way around the house or crowding around my desk like Hitchcock's birds.

A fasting day, I met Lorraine in Sainsbury's this evening on the way back from work. She'd fallen over in the mud at a school, and was covered in the stuff. Home for small foods, a wee bit of salmon, steamed veggies and a couple of spoons of brown rice to be eaten slowly. Finding organic miso soup a lunchtime boon, as a cupful is few calories, but satisfying. The trick is to find a brand that isn't over salty.