Anyone who's suffered from insomnia will know that getting through a day at work after a bout of nocturnal turning and tossing is an ordeal, but going out and making conversation with friends at the end of the working day is impossible, no matter how much you love them.
Mattress moulding, blind shutting, duvet tossing, work worrying, surreal thought drifting, cat in kitten heels pacing (must make that vet appointment for the nail clippings) ylang ylang on pillow resorting, my night of sleeplessness couldn't have been any worse. Imagine my delight therefore, when, wilting after a day at work, Charlotte phoned me to say that we weren't going out after all, we were staying in for dinner with some treats from John Lewis Foodhall.
It turned out that going out on a Monday night was not the most appealing prospect for our local friends (I'd be the same) and that Charlotte and her mother were tired after their excursion around town.
So 40 winks after getting home, and another 10 winks for good measure, I sloped downstairs in my pyjamas to see what Charlotte had rustled up. A lidded pan was bubbling on the stove and I was sent out to get some mint from the garden. I was too tired still though to be kitchen detective and numbly I trundled out into the fresh evening air to snip some exhilaratingly fragrant leaves from the plant on the patio.
Returning to the kitchen, I watched the kitchen queen tear some rocket leaves onto a large plate and then open a series of exciting deli pots. Because Charlotte's mum hates both the seeds and skins of cucumber, the slender green vegetable got subjected to some harsh penetration by the apple corer by mum bought me from Lakeland. It worked a treat though and this was then chopped into small chunks, flung into the rocket along with an assortment of other ingredients and within minutes the plate was magically transformed into a pile of treasures, glistening with some mouthwateringly fragrant dressing.It was the perfect antidote to my drowsiness - fresh, fragrant and hydrating, with enough variety of textures to keep me awake just that little while longer. Plump, juicy artichoke hearts, rich sun-dried tomatoes, the occasional caper, goat's cheese crumbles, cucumber chunks, tasty dressing and the perfect accompaniment, minted, buttered new potatoes.
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