These are busy days. Days filled with ticking things off lists, going to and fro in search of those bits and pieces that can only be bought at the last minute.

For going to the hairdresser in Cirencester and appreciating the ease of parking when my appointment is at 9am. Any later and those car parks will be jam packed full, for there’s never enough parking spaces in town, whatever the time of the year.

It means I have time to savour the lovely shop windows, this one in particular is always beautifully dressed.

Time must be found for wrapping parcels, mysterious and extraordinarily heavy boxes which need attention before anyone looks too closely at the labels on the box.

And in the odd five minutes here and there, it’s good to keep up with my Project Life album, keeping a record of my days with a few more private details I don’t share elsewhere.

My early morning swimming pool time is a useful opportunity to think and reflect on what’s complete and what’s still to do. The holiday opening hours have kicked in now, though, so that’s it for this year.

I enjoyed a bit of fabric shopping with a friend, looking for some inspiration for her curtains yesterday. Have I got time for coffee? Of course!

Later that evening, I sat and worked out my shopping list for this weekend. Another one. It’s times like this I’m glad I kept the plans from previous years; what we ate, where the recipe is, what we enjoyed and what wasn’t worth the effort..

I didn’t have a whole Serrano ham leg on my shopping list! (and no, it didn’t find its way into my trolley)

When a recipe begins “8-rib higher-welfare pork loin, chine bone removed (ask your butcher to remove the skin but hang onto it for amazing double crackling)” a supermarket butcher simply won’t do. But any excuse to visit this glorious place is a good one, especially at this time of the year.

Sadly, no time to hang around drinking coffee this morning when there’s baking to be done, though.

Just twenty minutes later, quality control needs to do a bit of sampling. There’s always time for that!

We can always find time for good things, for family, for friends and for fun.

For Christmas.