I ALMOST BOUGHT A WOK

I almost bought a wok today. That was on account of having mucked up my arrangements for the weekend. And being in Cambridge. And not finding my baking dishes.

That all makes perfect sense to me, so why you don't follow it beats me.

After finishing my LEJOG (over two years ago now; time has flown...) I quite surprised myself at how I had changed and actually now look forward to meeting new people, whereas before I had always bided my time and tried to get the measure of someone before I committed to any form of friendship. In my 'other life,' I organise people who need help with their businesses in times of crisis - and indeed I think I am quite good at it. I am almost ruthlessly organised at work - I love sorting out the chaos and stepping up and straightening things out.

The trouble is, when I get home, shut the door and sink into my settee (did you know that the settee is my friend?) I seem to abandon all those admirable qualities of transparency, communication and organisation.

I had planned on making a fish pie and a lamb hot-pot this weekend for a friend who I thought I had invited down. I was convinced that I had no large square baking dishes and so this was not going to be possible in the time I had available - as I had no time to go out and buy new dishes. I settled on a simpler menu.

Well, it looks like the personal management of my life went a bit awry: My friend didn't show and so I had two lovely trout in paper bag suppers in a row. All quite delicious with a gorgeous bottle of Sancerre. Instead of wild socialising, yesterday was spent sorting out shrubs in the garden, and general patio weeding after giving the place a damn good late Spring-clean.

So today I had as spare and so took a trip to Don's In Cambridge to read the Sundays and have an espresso and Peroni whilst watching the tourists. I sat there wondering about the Welsh lamb I had in the fridge and resolved to go and buy a wok. Cambridge isn't good for Woks.

Having strolled about the available Cambridge cook shops, inspecting every conceivable brand, size and shape of wok on the shelves, I decided that there was nothing that my amateur cook's eye fancied. I am a very picky amateur. I need a trip to London to buy my wok.

I trundled home and found that in fact I did have a beautiful square baking dish that was hiding in the plastic bag cupboard, buried beneath myriad Waitrose plastic bags. So there is now a rather nice aroma drifting around the cottage of a wonderful Lamb hot-pot slowly turning to a golden brown in the oven.

I will now try to sort out my life at home - I must be more organised. I shall write myself a stern note. That should do it. And go to London to buy a wok.