I revisited the recent topic which was bugging me about the links between jewellery and food - adornment and decoration. The idea of using a character of a cook or gardener as a binding element for a poem came to me - but I also thought of the structure of a peach (as an example) with the flesh being the adornment for the peach stone or kernel, leading me back to the idea of natural decoration - beauty spots, or even markings which we acquire through time - scars, wrinkles, smile lines ... and so the ideas continue to develop.

The stark aspect of certain liquids was something which several news stories today had in common - from drops of blood on trainers which helped convict Damilola Taylor's killers to the threat of liquid-based bombs to flights and the aftermath of radioactive spillage from the Dounreay nuclear plant affecting beaches and the sea bed in the local area.

At times like this, sometimes poetry is not enough - and I look to music to restore some sense of order to my perception of life. On this occasion, I am reminded of a line from a song sung particularly memorably by Sue Kelvin in her biographical account of Sophie Tucker in her show 'Sophie Tucker's One Night Stand' which is on at the Pleasance Courtyard at 3.50 until 28th (not Tuesdays) - 'Lord, you made the night too long'.

A very moving show - and one I highly recommend.

Today's poetry competition winner is Sean Burn, who wrote a poem on the topic of 'Meat & 2 Veg'

Sean wins 2 free bowls of Soul Food from Momma Cherri's Soul Food Shack at the Pleasance Dome. Enter our daily competition and you too could be a lucky winner.