1. In the car I play a new CD that arrived in the post and appreciate the new sounds.

2. The children at my placement school remember me, even though I last saw them for a day three weeks ago.

3. A girl informs me that she wants to make a book and asks me to help her write the title - 'Mary with the beautiful dress'. She spends a lot of time illustrating her book and returns to the task again in the afternoon.

The last seven days

1. I'm called into the kitchen by my boyfriend who points out the most amazing sunrise. The whole sky is a burnt orange, broken up by beautiful coral clouds. I've never seen anything like it, and I immediately rush to fetch my camera!

2. I finally finish the essay I've been working on for the past three weeks and the feeling of relief is immense!

3. I achieve a personal best in a timed 5k race with the club, which makes the effort during the run very worthwhile!

1. On my morning run past houses and alongside fields full of horses and cows, I hear a cockerel crowing in someone's back garden. I love the sound and I feel like I'm truly in the countryside, but I bet the sleeping neighbours aren't too impressed!

2. An unexpected night in means curling up on the settee, watching TV and going to sleep early.

3. My little sister wants me to dance with her, then instructs me to lay down and go to sleep, before covering me up with a tiny doll's blanket. Her imagination is developing quickly and knows no bounds.

4. I am treated to tea at the in-laws' again. This time it's delicious chicken pie and vegetables, perfect for satisfying a rumbling tummy.

1. A new coat with the collar turned up keeps the cold wind out as I walk to university.

2. A bowl of warm beef stew at the in-laws' really warms my cockles!

3. At university, wearing ear plugs makes me appreciate how hearing-impaired children must feel in school.

1. I worry about agreeing to go into work on my day off from university when I've got an essay to work on, but a day away from studying actually does me good. I feel more motivated and the essay structure seems clearer in my mind when I return to it after a break.

2. A surprise text at dinner time tells me how much I mean to someone special.

3. I find out that my oldest friend is expecting a baby.

My week

1. Leaving the flat, getting in the car, then looking up and seeing the most stunning rainbow in the morning sky.

2. My boyfriend's cat meows at me, telling me to sit down so she can jump on my knee and be fussed over.

3. At one of my running club sessions, we do speedwork for the first time and I can immediately feel that it'll help me immensely in my training.

4. Fellow runners notice that I've improved a lot since I joined the club and praise me for making it to the top of an extremely long, steep hill without stopping to walk.

5. I receive my monthly copy of Runners' World magazine and it contains a flyer advertising the Albert Bartlett Edinburgh Marathon 2009. I make a snap decision to sign up and feel extremely excited about the prospect of completing such a mammoth task.

6. I visit my new placement school for the first time and spend a day with the class I will teach next year. The school's so quaint and tiny, all the staff are more than welcoming, and my 4- and 5-year-old pupils remember my name instantly.

7. I call my mum while I'm chopping carrots for tea and I end up spending over half an hour on the phone, catching up.

8. My little sister shows me the song she's learned at nursery (Ring-A-Ring-A-Roses) and dances along to it with me.