It was a bright, sunny, blue-sky Saturday, so naturally I took predictable pictures of early openers, like all the flowers and blossom here. It's also predictable that I could say something like, "And it's only January! And we're getting flowers already!" Blah, blah...

Read this morning that a blog post entitled something along the lines of 23 Things to Do Aside From Get Married When You're 23 has apparently gone viral. Really? Do people really need lists like this? Or do they just like lists? Some do, it's true. I remember Mark Boxer, one-time editor of Tatler, rubbing his hands as he walked past, saying, "I love lists!" At the time, I was a virtually faceless freelance sub who'd just got off the plane and didn't understand what Tatler was about or who all the people were that got snapped at parties. I ended up there by accident: not sure if it's still the case now, but in those days, Condé Nast never advertised editorial job vacancies, but it seems they must have been desperate for a copy-editing bod, so when my CV (that's Brit-speak for resume) landed on someone's desk, it was simply good timing. But I digress!

Wasn't I talking about lists? Oh yes, and how some folks like them. I suppose they're to the point and you know what you're going to get. I certainly write lots of lists, full of things I should be doing or need to do. Somehow, writing them down makes me feel as if I've at least made a start. And, also, I don't have to remember what they are anymore, because they're on the list, which means there's more space in my head for... Well, reading other people's lists, I suppose! Except that I guess I'm not all that interested in what 23 things a 23-year-old should be getting up to. I've got my own 23-year-old, and he seems to have plenty to do without adding another 23 to his list. I guess I prefer not being told what I ought to be doing, whatever age I am. Surely it's one of the joys of living that we get to choose what goes on our own life lists? Like my top 5 list of places I want to go, which is constantly being updated and re-ordered and this morning contains southern Spain, Istanbul, Southeast Asia, Sweden and just about anywhere with hot sun and a beach...


I leave you with pix from yesterday's ramble that took us by this lock, that started a conversation about taking a narrow boat trip in the spring or summer, so that's something else to put on the list!