We combine our three packs of pasta for dinner – pesto. We tip the dried stuff into a pan, add water and simmer. We try it, looking at each other with disbelief as it hits...

We look at each other with shy relief. It’s the look two odd socks give when they recognise each other in the wild.

REVISITING THE LIST1. Kiss EstelleOkay, at least I’ve met her. She thinks I’m a creep. And that’s withought her knowing I’ve read her diaries. Unless we somehow fall over, exactly aligned, lip to lip, and...

Mothers are generally starvers or feeders

Stress level: extreme. It’s like she was a jar with the lid screwed on too tight, and inside the jar were pickles, angry pickles, and they were fermenting, and about to explode.

It makes me feel tired about how guarded we are the whole time. Without even trying we’re ready to make a joke of everything, serving up the day with big dollops of irony and derision...

I don’t think I fully appreciated how relaxing it is having someone I can be really mean to. It’s going to be so hard being nice all the time.