One Hundred Tiny Pleasures.

Some day’s we need shoring up by the teeny tiny things. The things that pass unnoticed. We need to open our eyes, prop them open with matchsticks if need be and sensually consume life in all it’s silly, scrumptious, everyday glory…

Today is one of those days. Here for my own pleasure is a list of loveliness on a tiny scale…  

1.   A perfect blush coloured apple  sliced  into translucent slithers.

2. The scent of my own perfume.

3.  Listening to the kids laughing  in the school  playground a few doors down.

4. Rubbishy white bread, slathered in good butter and folded  in  half.

5.  My tea drawer: a kitchen drawer filled with row upon row of herbal teabags.

6. The lovely coral coloured coat that makes me smile everytime I put it on.

7. Vintage brooches pinned to the cushions on my bed.

8.  Burying my face in Finley’s  curly hair.

9. Ice cold skimmed milk drunk from one of the green glasses with the little hearts that Helen bought me for Christmas. With  a  chocolate digestive or two.

10. Soaking my tea-towels in lavender scented water and letting the freshness of it scent the whole house.

11.  De-fluffing the tumble dryer filter. I know. It’s an obsession…

12. Sunday papers  hoarded for a  weeks worth of reading.

13.  Climbing into bed and snuggling down until theres only the tip of my nose peeking out.

14. Painting my toenails  scarlet  red.

15.  Trying not to giggle when Finley  is on the phone to my Mum.

16. Opening my comfort drawer and re-arranging the things in it, just for the hell  of it.

17. Plucking my eyebrows. Achieving the perfect arch may turn out to be my life’s work.

18. Sharpening pencils with a knife, because it makes me feel authentically artistic.

19. Hanging the living room rug over the garden line and giving it a good beating.

20. Saying Good Morning to people I don’t know as I walk down our lovely lane.

21. Poetry. Poetry. Poetry.

22. Trying and repeatedly failing to poach an egg. I can’t. I’ve tried.

23. Playing with a bowl full of old buttons while I watch the Tv.

24. Cadburys Creme Eggs.

25. Text messages. I love them. Even when it’s only Vodaphone trying to sell me something.

26. Sprinkling a cloud of icing sugar on to anything at all.

27.  Brushing my teeth. I mean really? Who doesn’t love brushing their teeth?

28. Making the sink shiny. Because the Flylady is right…it is life enhancing.

29. The damp  deliciousness of wet towels as I drag them out of the washing machine.

30. Idly stroking a feather up and down my arm.

31.  Books that don’t ask me to think.  Silly old fashioned  pulp  fiction.  Piles of them passed on by Mum.

32.  Fishing melty marshmallows out of  cream drenched hot  chocolate.

33. New knickers.

34. Tying my hair back at the end of  the day.

35. Wandering up and down the cleaning aisles in the supermarket.

36. Making my mouth water reading recipe books.

37. Annoying  Finn by insisting that yes, I really do think The Wiggles are rubbish…

38. Stacking my newly pressed doillies in size order. Clearly I’ve got no life.

39. Slicing lemons and feeling oddly virtuous.

40.  Then sprinkling salt on to my tea stained kitchen counters and using said lemons to banish ring marks for good.

41. Refusing carrier bags in shops as I whip out my  string bag and almost expect a round of  applause…

42.  Tingly skin from  body brushing before I get into the shower.

43. Charity book shops.  Quirky and occasionally stinky. Odd staff obligatory especially in the animal rescue book shop, where you can also pick up a cat with your Chaucer.

44. New bars of soap. Yummy.

45. Dancing by myself in the kitchen while  I wait for the kettle to boil. Don’t tell anyone…

46. Irish soda bread and smoked ham.

47. A pretty bra or two hung from the butterfly rhinestone knobs on my wardrobe doors.

48. Feather dusting, cos it’s plain old silly. Oh and my pretty new pale pink dustpan and brush.

49. Flicking back through BrocanteHome and marvelling at the occasionally absolutely ludicrous  nonsense I have felt the urge to share with you. You poor people…

50. Holding back my smirk when the people in Costa coffee ask me if I would like frozen water with my Orangina.

51. Bashing the cushions on my armchair before I go to bed.

52. Locking the doors and turning out the lights before I go to bed, because all of a sudden it doesn’t scare me anymore.  Is this some kind of new peace?

53.  Sitting with Finn on my knee as we go through his newborn photograph album for the millionth time.

54. Post without a bill or twenty three. I practically get down on my knees and offer a prayer of pure gratitude.

55. Opening one eye to squint at the clock and realising there is a still a good hour or two to dream before the day has to begin.

56. Wandering about wafting homemade air freshener  into the air  as  I go.

57. Checking to see whether my daffodils  have opened their eyes yet.

59.  Crunchy celery dipped in cottage cheese.

60. The taste of a lovely dream on my lips for the rest of the day.

61.  Chopping up old t-shirts for my rag bag.

62. Pouring sugar into my spotty blue sugar bowl. I don’t know why. It just makes me happy.

63. Going to the library. The bestest thing in the world.

64. My grey blanket.

65. Running my hand along hedges and walls as I walk.

66. Reading something rude and blushing all by myself.

67. Popping the foil on a new jar of coffee.

68. Carmex lip balm.

69. Dipping my face into a perfect cresent of melon and drowning in melon juice.

70. Popcorn at the pictures. Actually the pictures full stop.

71. My neighbours. I have the loveliest neighbours.

72. Mum’s  "Have you locked your  doors?" nine o’clock  phonecall.

73.  Lighting candles. Lots and lots of them.

74. Lemonade that sends bubbles up my nose and makes me giggle.

75. An empty washing basket.

76. Washing my titchy little windows on a sunny day.

77. Crying. I love crying. Over nothing and everything. Usually by myself.

78. Getting yet another blackcurrant juice stain out of my cream carpet.

79. Sitting down at nine o’clock in the morning to watch a very silly childrens programme called "Me Too!". Even when Finley isn’t home…

80. Happy achy tiredness. You know the kind.

81. Cheese. With everything. I’m like the moon. Made of cheese.

82. Eavesdropping on babbas telling each other off.

83. Refusing salt on my food. After finally giving up a life long obsession and re-discovering my no longer puffy, wrists.

84.  Chucking out another bit of Finleys plastic nonsense. How evil am I?

85.  Drying cutlery. 

86.   Remembering to be grateful before I close my eyes.

87.  Stroking the hair back from Finn’s hot little head as  he sleeps.

88.  The smeary challenge that is corn on the cob dripping with butter.

89.  Coronation Street. I actually feel oddly cross on the nights it is not on.

90.  An hour spent  re-reading the occasionally mystifying messages  on the back of old postcards.

91.   Suddenly feeling inspired to add a paragraph or two to the novel I’ve been writing for a hundred years.

92. Tying up newspapers with string for recycling.

93. A hot sea salt and rosemary bath, ice cold water (with frozen water please!) in a crystal champagne glass and thick towels warmed on the radiator.

94. The little chamelia in a tea cup full of water next to my bed tonight. A pleasure so fleeting I almost feel I should stay up and watch it gently wither.

95. Ribbon bookmarks. A bonbon dish full of ribbons on my bedside especially for the purpose.

96. "Hey Sweetie!" conversations with Helen on MSN…

97. Feeling face masks crack on my face because I laugh too much.

98. Listening to Finley re-tell his egg joke… "Mummy, there was this lady in her kitchen and she went to the fridge, put two eggs in a saucepan  and poured boiling water on them. Then Mummy, one egg said to the other, Gosh it’s hot in here isn’t it? And the other one said "Wait till they get you out, they bash your head in…" . Laughing for the millionth time at my very own curly topped comedian.

99.  Hot water bottles wearing one of Finleys old sweaters in lieu of a  gorgeous fair aisle cover I haven’t got…

100.  Living here. Oh, how I love living here and drinking too much tea in teeny china cups…