Taking a cue from a podcast I usually listen to (Pop Culture Happy Hour), I thought I’d list some things that are making me happy right now (they do this at the end of the podcast but it’s usually pop culture things like books, music or TV shows).
The longer days
Personally, I would rather have more light in the evening than the morning- yes getting up in the dark isn’t great but when it’s dark at 4pm it feels like the day has already ended. But now the days feel like they are really stretching out. Driving home in the (nearly) light feels so much better, and soon I won’t need to be donning all the high viz gear and lights when I go out on a run after work.
Our garden
When it was really cold I moved my laptop into the dining room as my office was quite cold. I’ve left it there for now, and it means that when I am doing work (or reading blogs while eating my breakfast) I can watch the birds in the garden. There are always lots of visitors to the seeds and fat balls, and Mum had given me some nyjer seeds which are supposed to attract finches (they do in her garden). She did say I needed to be patient, and this week I am sure I saw a bullfinch in a tree (thought it was a chaffinch but it was more red than that), and then the next day I saw two goldfinches feeding on the nyjer seeds. This was very exciting- I am hoping they tell all their friends so I see more finches. I also saw what I am pretty sure are coal tits today. Lots of bulbs are poking through too, and lots of buds everywhere, so it feels like it’s beginning to come back to life. Although the snow this weekend had really put back my plans to add to the plant life- I managed to plant some geraniums last week and I was going to start off some seeds this week but it’s way too cold to be pottering around outside.
parkrun
parkrun in general makes me happy. This weekend was my first run in 3 weeks, as it was cancelled two weeks ago and last weekend I marshalled. I went to Panshanger which is just a beautiful park. There was a dusting of snow and it was freezing, but being out in nature is good for my soul.
Pots of tea
I do have a rather large tea collection (I can’t resist new Bluebird teas). We used to only have pots at the weekend but now sometimes we will have one on a weeknight- there is something about the ritual of making tea in a teapot which feels more special as you have to take the time to do it instead of quickly shoving a teabag into a cup.
Rooibos tea from Bluebird (of course)
The fire
I got back on Saturday evening to find Andy putting the fire on- when it’s snowy the fire seems to warm you through more than the central heating does. (Although I would be equally happy with spring weather where I don’t need to warm up!)
What is making you happy at the moment?
I definitely agree with you on the longer days. Coming home in the dark always makes it seem so much later than it is, whereas in the summer the evenings seem to stretch ahead endlessly.
Yoga is making me happy just now. Since developing my home practice and doing yoga more often, I definitely feel a difference. Half an hour on my mat makes a big difference to my day, especially if it’s been tough.
Another thing making me happy is reading. Actually, that’s always made me happy but this year I am joining in with some online book groups and it’s been so good to pick up titles I might not otherwise have tried and find new people to share ideas with. It’s also helping me to set aside more time to sit and read (with a cup of tea of course!).
I only tend to read before bed, or sometimes on holiday. That’s a good one to add to the list.
I’m really into drinking tea at the moment. Just standard black tea (well Yorkshire Tea). There’s just something so comforting about it 🙂
Yes, you can take your time and enjoy a cup of tea I find 🙂