These are a few of my favourite things

Don’t get me wrong, I love raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens as much as the next gal but there are some additions I’d like to make to this song. Here are a few more of my favourite things.

British crime dramas with dapper detectives: Sherlock, Midsomer Murders and Broadchurch. Something about the floppy hair and rounded vowels and scenery is strangely comforting. These shows offer me just the right combination of suspense and familarity. I may well be middle-aged before my time but I love my weekly dose of serial killers in small villages.

Autumn leaves crunching and air that is crispy: Oh Autumn you radiant muse. I love this time of year. Summer’s too hot and Winter’s too cold. But Autumn is just right as Goldilocks would say. Cosy cardies, cups of tea, cool weather for reading and writing and sleeping in and everything. Its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.

 Coffee in bed with a cat that is purring: This is a particular holiday or weekend treat. The luxury of the return-to-bed-with-a-cuppa. Sheets still warm, coffee hot, time on my side and Bella on the other side doing her best Buddha impression and purring like a machine gun. Blissiness! Having a cat encourages a healthy attitude towards sleep-have you had your 20 hours today?

A page that is blank with promise and potential: I’ve recently rediscovered the joy of writing. And thank you Dear Reader for being my enabler in this. There’s a lovely sense of hope and anticipation that comes from a blank sheet of notebook paper or the blinking of a new Word document. Ideas flow and they go but to write is to write is to write is to write.

Drifting and dazing on dazzling daydreams: Even though I am attempting to be more present in each moment, I still love the luxuriousness of gazing out the window or staring off into space. In my daydreams I’ve had so many amazing relationships, met with celebrities, won luxury homes and awards and, even though it’s imaginary, my life is all the richer for it. It’s fun to try on a new life for size. Who have you been lately?

 When the dog (or cat) bites
When the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favourite things
And then I don’t feel so bad

Or if all else fails, I simply say ‘Sod it Julie! Just give me the damn schnitzel with noodles!’

What are a few of your favourite things?

Love and light and crisp apple strudels xxx Yvette