My trip has screwed up my internal clock, but it really is Thursday today. Without further ado, we present Three Beautiful Things from the last week:

1. While walking back to the hotel Monday morning, I passed a local coffeehouse where I decided to get a cup of tea. They seemed like they had a promising lunch menu, so I returned on Tuesday for my midday meal and had the most amazing sandwich. It was cheddar, gouda, tomato, and lettuce on blueberry cornbread. Divine.

2. I like hats, probably because I look good in them (a trait I inherited from my mother). While in England, I bought a bright green courderoy newsboy cap that I’ve worn on several occasions since I returned. And people really seem to like it. And me in it.

3. My confidence is beginning to wane in my ability to finish my knitting project by Monday afternoon. But my friends seem to believe I will pull it off, perhaps because I have pulled off a number of large projects as deadlines loomed. I appreciate their faith in me, because it’s really all I’m working off of at this point.

We now return to your regularly scheduled Three Beautiful Things Thursdays:

1. We returned home to find the local pyracanthas had gone to berry. These shrubs develop whole hordes of bright orange berries at the tips of their branches, making it look like they’ve painted their fingernails for Halloween.

2. I do not eat McDonald’s at home. Outright refuse, because they cook their french fries in animal fat — an unnecessary step, in my mind — and don’t make that abundantly clear at their establishments. McDonald’s in other countries, however, are fair game, because the worldwide population that does not eat beef requires McDonald’s to be more careful and more resourceful. So while in the U.K., I stopped at a McDonald’s to pick up one of my favorite childhood fast foods — the fried apple pie. Yes, I know they’re terrible for you. But they are so much tastier than the baked version our franchises switched to about 15 years ago.

3. We went to the Mets-Nationals game on Sunday — the final game of the final series my two favorite teams would play this year. I also wanted to see All-Star catcher Mike Piazza one last time in a Mets uniform (although Dad remains optimistic I’m mistaken on Mike’s move to a new team in the off-season). So we had two good reasons to hit RFK so soon upon our return to the States. And apparently Mike could see how many Mets fans had come out to support him because he answered our adoration with not one, but two, home runs, as well as two walks. David Wright and Mike Jacobs also hit long balls, giving the Mets a 6-5 victory over the Nats.

Because I’ve now missed two three beautiful things Thursdays, I thought I’d give you them all at once plus a bonus:

1. A caring caretaker: John, our Georgetown senior catsitter, took lovely care of the cats while we were gone, leaving them fully fed and watered, watering the basil, fixing the computer, and sweeping up around the (cleaned) catboxes. Who could ask for more?

2. Conversation: Wednesday night, after arriving in north London for a two-day stay, we went to dinner at a recommended Indian/Bangladeshi restaurant. The gentleman who took our order came over after the other customers had gone home and we talked about wide-ranging topics for the next two hours. This is the sort of experience we all hope to get when we travel, but so rarely do.

3. Hospitality: Janice and James of Bay Tree House in London run a lovely B&B at a very affordable rate a mere 30 minutes from Covent Garden. They were warm, welcoming, and offered us the run of their home (even going so far as to buy Tube tickets for us the first morning). I cannot recommend them highly enough.

4. Family: We got the chance to meet some relatives for the first time while on our trip. Di and Ginny are my mother’s twin cousins. Di, Mychele, and Kevin came to the wedding and helped make it a fun evening for us. And Ginny, Sam, and Élissa welcomed us into their home, acted as tour guides around my grandmother’s hometown and the nearby area, and were as lovely as if we’d always known (and liked) each other.

5. Hanging with the Queen: Okay, not quite. But our visit did coincide with the two months a year she opens Buckingham Palace to the public, so we took advantage of the opportunity and went to visit. The palace is impressive (as was the Queen Mum’s White Wardrobe from her first official visit to Paris weeks after her mother’s death), but I especially liked the gardens. They seemed more relaxed than the rest of the estate (you can only control nature so much, as our recent Gulf Coast disasters point out) and very scenic, with benches along the periphery for optimal viewing.

6. Dipping my toes: While the weather was generally lovely for touring (upper 60s and lower 70s), it was not usually the sort of temperature that inspired bare feet or legs. But the afternoon we arrived in the southern coastal resort town of Bournemouth, the sun came out from behind the clouds and warmed the air. We took elevator-like contraptions down to the seaside and sat on the sand soaking in the rays. And we waded through the surf looking for fun shells and flat stones to skip. I love the ocean and always feel so at home with myself when I’m near it. So it provided probably the most relaxed afternoon of our whole trip.

7. A knock-out dress: I was still a little worried about the low-cut dress I bought for this fall’s fancy-dress events, but received a number of compliments on it and on how grown-up I looked. It’s amazing what a killer dress does for one’s self-confidence (particularly when combined with the miracle of double-sided body tape!)!

Today is Thursday and the weather just screams that we talk about Beautiful Things. Here are three from the last week:

1. A few weeks ago I dropped my business card into a pot to win a free lunch for me and some coworkers at a nearby pizzeria. I won. Today, lunch was gratis at Ella’s for me and 8 of my colleauges. Somehow things got a little mixed up and the guy who was supposed to tell us about financial planning in exchange for this lunch didn’t show. It was confusing for a while, but delicious!

2. The leaves have started turning on some of the trees and bushes in my neighborhood. Some of the ones on 21st Street have turned a gorgeous scarlet. It’s an omen of chilly weather to come, but presented in a lovely way.

3. Andre Agassi and James Blake were still playing when CBS came back with their late night re-cap coverage. They were in the fifth set, which they eventually took to a tie-break. It was amazing to watch the prowess, energy, and enthusiasm these two men from different generations of tennis brought to the game. Agassi eventually won the match, but it could have gone either way. And you got the feeling that while they both wanted to win, they would have been satisfied to lose to their opponent in such a well-matched battle.

We’re getting a little late here, but it’s still Thursday… This week’s Three Beautiful Things:

1. I went to a birthday party on Saturday night and decided to take some brownies with me. I made up a mix and threw in a couple handfuls of peanut butter chips at the last minute. Everyone oohed over them, reminding me how much a little “extra” can really make a dish.

2. At the farmers’ market on Sunday, we stopped at a number of stalls so farmers could inquire about Rudi’s shoulder and how we’ve been. One even went so far as to give Rudi some balm to help relieve the tension in his arm and shoulder muscles. We’ve become part of the market community…

3. I love when you finally pick up a book that’s been on your to-be-read pile for a while and it actually seems to be as good as you were hoping it would be. I’ve been wanting to read Mr. Norrell and Jonathan Strange since the end of last year and have finally gotten around to it. I’m not far in yet, but am enjoying what I’ve read so far.

Thursday came quickly this week. Three beautiful things:

1. I finally got the results of medical tests I have been waiting for. I’m fine. I knew I would be, but others seemed to lack my certainty and chomped restlessly at the bit as we awaited the follow-up appointment. Everyone else’s stress got a little annoying, but the underlying sentiment — their interest in my well-being — made me feel loved.

2. D.C.’s downtown is the construction capital of the world. As I walk from the metro to my office, I can see three separate cranes all operating at various vantage points on the street. When they align correctly, they create the outline of a building, filling the sky with ghosts of architecture-to-come.

3. Danny and I wandered through Conn’s arboretum last weekend, ending our jaunt on the Arbo green. I hadn’t been to the Arbo since Professor Niering‘s funeral several years back (six already!) and was amazed how much it remained the same and how much I still love it. The pond was clogged with lily pads and swallows raced overhead chasing bugs. Dragonflies and catbirds alike paused in their flights to investigate us thoroughly. The sky above us burned blue and hot. The Latin alma mater, meaning, literally, “kind or nourishing mother,” is used to refer to a school from which you have graduated. It is, I think, relevant here, as I felt replenished and peaceful after leaving the Arbo in a way I don’t get from many other places.