Of all the ways one might write of hectic days, listing the things you made to eat, or ate made by others, might be the most sympathetic.

On Monday I made blueberry popsicles and discovered what a mess pureed blueberries make.

On Tuesday I hosted lunch for a friend while our puppies played together. Chickpea Pan Bagnat is the visitor-friendly kind of lunch you can prepare ahead and pick up and put down for the inevitable child and puppy interruptions.

On Wednesday, Christian found enough string beans in the garden for Salade Niçoise. The garden centre had new potatoes for sale.

On Thursday, we made our son’s birthday party lunch: grilled cheese and a strawberry-banana smoothie.

On Friday we made salmon en papillote, paired it with simple fried rice and a glass of white wine to celebrate the end of an unusually busy week.