Due to some hand luggage space restrictions (cloth nappies are too precious to be trusted to the hold), I find myself on holiday without any hand work.

One could argue that the idea of having the time to do anything with travelling companions of four (and three quarters) and four months old was sheer folly, but I remain an optimist.

The lack of my usual pursuits has left me free to mull over the next step in the Ark Project, cook with unfamiliar ingredients and relive the more unusual parts of my childhood.*

I’m not sure I want to make a habit of travelling without needlework, but I find myself Pinning an awful lot of art journals at the moment, so perhaps I’ll exchange pins for pens next time.

*I was such a voracious reader that I would make regular, if half-hearted, attempts at The New England Journal of Medicine. It turned out to stand me in good stead when it came to Pilates coursework, but I think I really only liked the cover.