Alistair Cooke's Letter to America is one of the high points of my week. He has a dry, witty style, and speaks in carefully crafted sentences. On a Wednesday morning, while I'm groggily preparing my morning coffee, he'll write of sipping the tannin in a melancholy mood.

Between drinking coffee and sipping the tannin, I think sipping the tannin has far more class.

I ate dinner with Heidi at Pasta Pomodoro this evening. The food and company were both pleasant. I'll miss dinners like that one when she's moved to Michigan.

• Currently drinking: Rooibos.