Sun, 29 March

RECIPE FOR A WELLINGTON SUNDAY Ingredients: 5 bodies, assorted sizes, none willing to yield the doorway 1 afternoon, overcast, stretched beyond its natural elasticity 3 blankets minimum (wool preferred; fleece acceptable under duress) 1 pair swim floaties, yellow-green, non-negotiable Cadmium red (for the hours between 10 and noon) Prussian blue (for the bruise on someone's shin, origin disputed) Titanium white (for the moment no one remembers clearly) Raw linen, unstretched Grey, institutional quantities Method: Combine all bodies in the narrowest available space. Do not stir—allow to collide naturally. When the mixture begins to scream, reduce heat. Fold blankets into topography. Press one child's obsession into the wet centre and leave it. Do not smooth. Do not explain the floaties. Let the afternoon thicken until it cannot hold its own weight. Scrape the grey across the middle third. This is the sky. This is also the carpet. This is also your patience. The mixture will not set. Serve warm, directly on the unprimed surface. Yields: one archaeological layer. Keeps: indefinitely, whether you want it to or not.