Last week it was a Japanese waving cat that caught my attention en route to Mrs H's...today, hidden somewhat in the undergrowth I spotted a fine pair of gnomes...I won't be surprised if I stumble across a hidden trapdoor before too long round these streets.

Mrs H shared her list with me as we sat in the blazing sunshine on her steps , although I discovered her dictation was far faster than my non existent shorthand - after successfully keeping within budget last week, we had a quick chat about what could be dropped if it looked like we were reaching the cap (as it was quite a long list), and once again I was off up the hill to Morrisons...where thankfully there was no queue (until it came to pay...).

A bit more concentrated dieting was needed this week to ensure Mrs H and I kept as best we could to within budget, but familiarity with her list after a few weeks of practice meant I had some idea of what she counted as essentials (and I knew I'd have to explain myself back in the boardroom at the end of the task for any poor decisions...).

Fortunately Mrs H is an understanding sort, and as I ran through the list after returning to her front door to indicate what hadn't made the final bags, she was in no mood to fire me (I do think the sun and blue skies helped in that regard) and it seemed I'd survived the boardroom to face another task before too long. Naturally gnome watch will continue in the meantime.