5.51pm I really haven't written for a very long time, which is pretty awful really, for something that is meant to be a diary. Basically my mum has been really ill for the past couple of months, but she went into hospital last week for a final check-up and they've basically given her an all-clear. She had breast cancer and she's had it before and gone into remittance, so I don't know how reliable this is to be honest. Anyway, it's brilliant that the doctors can't find anything anymore. Mum hates being poked and prodded (to be honest, who doesn't?) so it's just great for her to be able to get on with things. In other news, we got a new chest of drawers and wardrobe delivered last night! They're really nice and go well with our bed, and before we'd had to have Dan's parents' old things because we couldn't really afford to get new things when we're both only training and also having bought a place together. It's really beginning to feel like home now which is amazing! I promise to update this more now!

9.57pm Well I said that if Dan asked me to marry him again this Christmas that I would say yes, but he didn't. Not that I'm especially upset actually. I'm fairly confident that neither of us are ready to make that kind of commitment yet. I'm 22, for goodness sake. It's hardly something that I should be rushing into because I've been left behind. I'd still count myself as fairly young. And to cement the fact that I'm young, Dan bought me a Nintendo DS for Christmas, which made me laugh. We've been playing the Brain Training games for Christmas and we're both appalling! We started the day off at my parents' house and then went to his mum's in the afternoon. His mum is a terrible cook but no-one's allowed to tell her, which just leads to a lot of concealed sniggers. I felt bad, but it was really funny. Anyway, I'll update more later!

11.00am Well today has so far been a very lazy day. Currently Dan is making us both breakfast, so I suppose I'd better be quick. He doesn't like it when I let my food get cold. I love a good cooked breakfast on a Saturday too. This is one of those mornings where I feel like a snotty, smug couple from a film; sadly the illusion only lasts until I spill orange juice all over the tablecloth and then Dan goes mad and puts it in the wash straightaway. He's very protective of his linen. Anyway, I was going to make an entry about the new flat that we've just moved into. A lovely new shiny thing in Stratford. Actually, I say 'we', but I feel more like 'me'. He's been spending a lot of time working late recently. I know it's because he's a trainee and he's got to work his arse off if he ever wants to get anywhere, but it makes me feel a little strange. At first I quite liked having the freedom, which is also slightly strange. But now I just want him back, to have dinner with and to go to the pub with. I met up with our usual group this Thursday, and they all noticed that he wasn't there. It made me feel... Well, odd. I didn't want them to be sad that it was just me, that would be insulting. But I was flattered they noticed that he wasn't there. Anyway, he's here now and I'd better go and eat up.

12.19pm I don't quite know how to respond to a lot of things that have been happening recently. I suppose a blog is the place where I can really say these things, so here goes: I've been with my boyfriend, Dan, for a really long time. Well actually, it feels like years, I suppose, but it's really not that long. We met at uni in our first week, but we didn't actually start going out until my 20th birthday. He made his move halfway through 'Don't Stop Me Now'. That song still makes me cringe. That's probably not a good thing, is it? Well anyway, over the summer we went to Paris. I loved it. I always have. When my mother took me there when I was a teenager I loved it. When I went with my best guy friend I loved it. I also love Dan, so that helped. A nice city is made beautiful by someone you love. The thing is, he went the cheesy route and asked me to marry him when we were up the Eiffel Tower. I said no. I don't really understand why I did - not because I want to marry him, but that moment was so perfect, I really thought it would have swept me away and I would have said yes. The thing is, I didn't. And I'm not sure how it's going to affect us. I knew that I was going to say no if he did ask me, so I stuck to my guns. And everyone I know thinks I'm strange. Well, I've only told my best friend, Amy, and she thinks I'm clinically insane. Of course she does - she got married this summer. I love him, I really do; I just don't want to get married yet. I think if he asked me again at Christmas I'd probably say yes. I feel like being engaged might not be all that bad. But shouldn't I wait until I know that I can spend the rest of my life with this guy without straying? Perhaps I'm being too much of a perfectionist. All I actually know is that I need to go back to Paris and reinstate it as a wonderful city. I don't want all these proposal-related memories: the city just doesn't deserve that.

6.29pm A new blog! I've never done this before, so this is a bit of a venture out into the unknown. Hello, I'm Kate, I'm 22, and I want to be a barrister. For now, I think I'll leave it like that, and update more later.