Maybe I needed to make like a potato, winnow myself down, be part of something that was not easy, just simple.

The road to hell is paved with leeks and potatoes

But hard bitten cynicism leaves one feeling peevish, and too much of it can do lasting damage to your heart.

Sometimes, if you want to be happy, you've got to run away to Bath and marry a punk rocker. Sometimes you've got to dye your hair cobalt blue, or wander remote islands in Sicily, or cook your way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year, for no very good reason.

The nice thing about having a friend who is crazier than you are is that she bolsters your belief in your own sanity.

The blog is certainly another tool for writers out there to break their way in. But being a blogger does not make you a great writer.

It's sad, but a relief as well, to know that two things so closely bound together can separate with so little violence.