Sarnies in the sun

Fiona and I met in 2008 when I moved here and she had a desk opposite mine. We had gone to the same university and we share northern roots and a fondness for being skinflints. Therefore a day of shopping for charity shop bargains and raiding offers at Wilko was a perfect Saturday. We fuelled halfway through on cheese butties. From Waitrose. Which our pre-Cambridge selves would never have believed possible.

Fiona is one of life's great eggs, and if more people were like her, the planet would be in a more positive state. She works in an environmental role and practises what she preaches. She now comes equipped with a handkerchief to avoid using too many tissues, and she has made washable fabric cloths to replace the need for throwaway face wipes.

Midsummer Common in Cambridge hosts numerous events through the year but the eponymously titled Midsummer Fair is a boisterous affair. Even by mid-morning, hordes of people have descended on the city decked out in their finery. From being asked many times about bus stops and taxi directions, I deduced that this is a hugely popular event for the traveller community, with the accents on display hailing from all parts of the country.

Transporting an ironing board by bike is harder than it sounds.