To counteract the post I did a few weeks back about all the things I don’t like, I have decided to be more full of the joys of spring and do a post about those simple pleasures that just make your day. It’s less about winning the lottery or getting a promotion at work, but more about those small fist pump moments that make you feel alive. In no particular order, here are my current top 10 simple pleasures…
1. TOP DECK, FRONT SEAT
I say this is in no particular order, but this one probably is my favourite. It doesn’t happen often as during the day you would have to beat every little kid to the favoured spot. Annoyingly, pushing in front of 5 year olds is frowned upon in today’s society, but when that double-decker rolls up devoid of small children and you can grab that front seat, top deck, then life is great. I prefer the left hand side in order to fully appreciate lording it over the world below, but the right hand seat will do just as well. What I really don’t want is someone coming to sit next to me. Leave me alone to enjoy this moment.
2. LAST ONE IN THE SALE IN MY SIZE
A massive hallelujah moment this one. Picture the scene, just popping into Selfridges, the sales are all but finished. I’m only in there to buy a birthday present for my mum, but it would be rude not to pop upstairs for a quick browse. Wait!, what is this? A final sale rail? Don’t mind if I do. Wait? What is this? One lone pair of Stella McCartney jeans, reduced 4 times over, from £575, to £105, surely they can’t be my size. Wait? What is this? They ARE my size! Unbridled joy. Moral of the story, always take a quick browse of the final sale rail.
3. FRIDAY EVENING, 6pm
To be honest, I do often end up having a drink most nights, but that one on Friday ‘evening’ at 6pm is without doubt the most pleasurable of them all. I have my own strict rules on when I can and can’t have certain drinks. I don’t have coffee after 4pm and I don’t have an evening drink before 6pm. Lunch time drinks not withstanding, and on holiday all bets are off (obvs). Friday evening is the best evening of the week these days. We used to have to do swimming lessons, those were then replaced by football practise, but nowadays there are no such activities. Football is now on Saturday morning and I cancelled the swimming lessons as soon as the kids could prove to me they wouldn’t drown if they fell in the canal. Happy Days, bring on the booze.
4. THE FIRST COFFEE OF THE DAY
This is the best coffee of the day. You can chase that feeling with 2 or 3 more cups, but nothing can beat the first one. Having a cup of coffee is the first thing I do every morning. I used to wait until I got to work and bought one from Pret, but this year I started making my own Cappuccino at home. to be honest I think I make a better coffee than Pret and it has saved me a ton of cash that I can put towards buying expensive handbags. A win win situation.
5. FREE CHICKEN
OK, so this one is really only relevant to me and a few people I work with, but a top lunchtime option in Kensington is the M&S deli counter rotisserie chicken. There is nice man that works there who sometimes gives you an extra leg. He doesn’t work every day and he isn’t always totally free with his legs, but just when you least expect it, he will pop an extra piece in for you. That makes me happy for the rest of the day. Who doesn’t want free chicken?
6. THE CHEAPER THAN EXPECTED RESTAURANT BILL
You had one bottle of wine too many. Again. But lo and behold the restaurant forgot to add it to the bill. A very short internal battle with guilt ensues, but do you ever admit they’ve undercharged? Unlikely. Bonus!
7. A LETTER FROM THE PREMIUM BONDS
I’ve had a small amount of premium bonds since I was a child, recently I put some of my savings into it. Money earns no interest in the bank so there’s nothing to lose. Every so often a little envelope comes through the door and immediately you can tell who it’s from. It’s ALWAYS a cheque for £25, but the thrill is still there. It could be more! and even if it isn’t (it really never is) £25 today that you didn’t have yesterday is a lovely treat. I know you can do it all online now, and I know you are supposed to re-invest it and not fritter it away on cakes and make-up, but where’s the fun in that?
8. A GOOD HAIR DAY
We all have good hair days when we’ve taken the time to use all the right products, do a good blow dry etc etc, but I mean those days where you wake up and look in the mirror and don’t feel like troll. No need to wash it or do anything other than maybe a spritz of dry shampoo. These days are few and far between, but we rejoice in them whenever they arrive.
9. PERFECT TRANSPORT LINKS
I have to get public transport every day. Living in London, it’s way of life. What makes me so happy are those days where everything just works perfectly. You get to the bus stop just as the bus pulls up, you walk down the stairs to the tube station just as the train is coming in, the connection works AND you get a seat the entire way. These days are few and far between but when they happen it’s like a warm hug from TFL.
10. THE FIRST PROPER SPRING DAY OF THE YEAR
In this country we have a lot of winter to get through, a lot of drizzle, a lot of grey, a lot of wind, a lot of days where you never really get warm. It seem endless, but when the clocks go forward and the evenings get lighter, the blossom is out and you finally get the first real spring day. One where you can fake tan the lower half of your legs and go sockless once more without fear of an ankle chill. The layers come off, the sun comes out and everything just feels better. Make the most of it ladies, we’ll all be complaining it’s too hot in a few months!
Shopping also makes me feel good, as does Brentford FC winning at the football, but that goes without saying. I’ll just leave you with a random selection of things that I think would make me happy if I bought them this week…
What are your simple pleasures?
K x
P.S. Thanks to my friend Holly who reminded me of a few of these simple pleasures on the tube to work this morning!