I keep trying and failing to put together a decent post but none of my thoughts are coherent enough for any length. Hence a gallimaufry of thoughtlets for today.

• We have made an offer on a house. In fact, on a house that is far too big for two people, but is only about 5 minutes away from where we now live and which sits on 2 acres of land at the end of an unpaved, private road. I don’t know that we have much chance of getting it because our offer is way below market value, but it’s a possible short sale and so I suppose the bank might go for it. Our realtor warned us not to get too attached to the place, excellent advice that you can tell we have completely ignored because we say things like ‘When is that man going to move out of our house?’.
• I’m in a bit of a reading slump after finishing Wolf Hall on the way back from Edinburgh. Now I’m looking for something equally good and historical and I’m stumped. It’s time I cut back on the reading candy and got on with something more wholesome. Any suggestions?
• Although, that said I did read Brideshead Revisited last week, and it was marvellous. It always is, despite absolutely dripping with nostalgia. No wonder it was Waugh’s least favourite of his novels, he always seems such an unpleasant man that I expect he didn’t want to admit to real human feeling.
• It’s been about three months since I jacked in my gym membership and I feel so much better for not going, mentally and physically. Clearly, any exercise benefit was outweighed by the stress of fitting it into my day, the guilt at not getting there and then sheer bloody wretched tedium when I did manage it. The walking-and-yoga regime I have in its place is much more enjoyable.
• Somehow the holiday season is almost upon us and it hasn’t so far given me a fit of the screaming abdabs and made me want to hide under the bed. In fact, I scored a few BBC Good Food magazines recently and I’ve been poring through them for seasonal baking ideas. My plan was to make mincemeat today but I don’t have any brandy, so perhaps I’ll do that tomorrow night instead. I’m also intrigued by the parsnip and maple syrup cake, and I really might have to have a go at an old fashioned treacle sponge. The Good Food mags are so good I thought about subscribing, but actually if I was going to pay that much for a subscription I’d get Top Gear.
• David Tennant is allegedly making a US show! This is very exciting because, obviously, he’ll have to move to the US to do so and he’ll probably be in New York at some point and therefore it’s almost inevitable that we’ll run into each other and he’ll realise he doesn’t really prefer blondes and then my other life will start. Well, that’s my thinking and I’ll thank you not to shine the cold light of reality onto the rainbow sparkles of my daydreams.

Right. There’s only one thing for it. Tea.