Thought it was time for a little summary of the things that make me smile right now…whether in fact or in wishful anticpation.
1. The weather is so lovely and warm and in the sunny springy mornings, I have been loving my walk to work. I trundle through the ancient St Mary’s Quad, complete with bursting-forth magnolias and an abundance of beautiful spring blooms. Then I walk across town – a lovely stroll through cobbled streets, down pretty alleys, past charming shop windows and more ancient stone wonders – like the glories of St Salvator’s Chapel. On more organised days I can also wander along the East Sands and up past the cathedral. It is a quaint little town and I love the peace of walking through such prettiness to ease me into the working day.
2. My new hastily-chosen spectacles that are due to arrive in a fortnight. I have had the current beloved Chanel frames for five years now, so I think I got value for money…but they have been mangled a lot by the pop, so hopefully the new eyewear will feel a little more robust. I am looking forward to that inevitable change of look that comes with new specs.
3. This teapot – the doctor is not terribly interested in homewares. But when I showed him this teapot (and I am in dire need of a teapot for more than two…) he said ‘Amazing!’ Which I am hoping is shorthand for…”if you want to buy it, go ahead…”
4. We need a holiday sometime soon…it has been far too long. Lately I’ve been flirting with the notion of a little glamping – my initial desire was a yurt in the French Pyrenees, but then I started thinking of being a little more ‘eco’ and going somewhere closer to home. Like this fr’instance:
But it turns out the doctor, though a fan of camping, would rather be in something a little more concrete and secluded if we are not ACTUALLY camping…fair enough…I shall continue to dream…and probably plan a little cottagey hideaway instead…
5. Beautiful sunny days at the beach make ice cream an essential dietary requirement. Here is the pop eating his first ever big-boy cone, he LOVED it…and it was a very balmy 21degC out…perfect day!
6. A dire internet connection and a kinda sick again little boy brought a revival of They Might Be Giants this weekend – with Here Come the 123s featuring on the must play list (‘The numbers one Mama’) and the excellent Here Comes Science making a comeback too. Love love love some silly singing combined with educational wonderfulness.
7. And speaking of silly and fun and educational and worky…have to say that perhaps against our own better judgement we are ALL loving Dada’s new iPad2…he was not a big fan of going down that route, but it seems to be revolutionising his work routines and the wee one had a happy little time on the weekend playing with the Eric Carle app – anything that is so functional and makes his little memory get going has to be a winner in my book. Simple and stylish…typical…
8. This summery elegance, of course I’ll never look this willowy and carefree, and our beaches are a bit cold for such frolicking, but dreams are free…
9. A new broom ALWAYS sweeps clean…and I am loving my new straw yard broom. The chicken poop was getting a bit out of hand. I love that they are free to range, and that our girls come up to both doors to welcome us whenever they see us coming. But it was high time I had some way of restoring order so we can still sit outside in the sun – like we did on the weekend.
10. Mornings in the kitchen. Here is a birdy still life…we have fresh eggs before breakfast every day, and we are often peering out into the fields and hedgerows to see details of birds we are spying out the kitchen windows…then checking the bird guides for identification. It is never a dull moment in our kitchen…and the birds outside (of all persuasion) help to keep up the drama.
And of course…when speaking of happiness and things I love…I have to finish off by mentioning these guys…always make me smile!
Hope you have some things to love and bring you happiness this inter-seasonal period…
50 things for 50 