Small, the thoughts that come to mind as you drizzle olive oil over a motley row of blanched asparagus, over the poached egg and the crushed walnuts. “You know what would make this better?” I said, to no one in particular. The mice were dozing behind the fridge. The white ranunculus were curling round to see the sun. “You know what would make this better?” I said, and where I have found that Pancetta is normally the fail-safe response to this question, today I thought of walnut oil.

So small, these thoughts that show up, well scrubbed and neatly combed, toothy in the grin, when the sky is blue and the bus ticket is charged and ready to go. Not half an hour after the last bit of asparagus had mopped up the last bit of yolk, I was getting off the 393 opposite Waitrose.

I put the bottle of walnut oil in my cart. Then four conference pears at 99 p, and some strawberries on special. Handsome boxes of cereal, two for the price of one. Rainbow trout fillets, reduced, and half a leg of lamb at 25 per cent off. Fresh ravioli, in mushroom and in spicy salami. And some flat-leaf parsley for good measure.

As for the one-kilogram Lindt gold bunny beckoning from the gilt and flash of the Easter display, well, I thought I should let sleeping bunnies lie.