Good Little Things

 

 Chez Today's Stuff has been on the ropes with illness. The weather has been depressing to say the least. Half term plans have had to be cancelled. It's all been rather glum. I'm feeling sorry for myself. The Doctor thinks it's either an inner ear infection or neuralgia. All I know is that it's bloody painful, and I've rather had enough of it all. Let's hope the next round of pills sort me out shall we?

 

A list of good little things.

Highlights if you will.

To counteract the gloom, and as a reminder that not everything is lurgy ridden.

 

• 'Lightling' which is Olly's word for lightening. As in a flash of. It made me chuckle so much last night, that I got him to repeat it over and over again, until he rolled his eyes at me.
• For the past two days there has been actual washing drying on the actual washing line. It has been billowing in the gentle breeze, and hazy sunshine. Oh how I love the smell of line dried bedding. I fold it and hold it to my nose, inhaling that crisp outdoorsy scent.
• Eating chips on Bournemouth beach. They were smothered in salt and vinegar, and volcanically hot. It was the best Valentine's Day present.
• This morning I woke to the most glorious mackerel sky sunrise. The colour filtered into the bedroom, and even though I'd had a rotten night's sleep (I'm ill. Did I mention it?), I jumped out of bed, grabbed my phone, opened Olly's window up wide and teetered on his window ledge to take a snap or two. It was gone soon after. A fleeting spectacle of natural beauty.
• Sarah Lancashire. What a fine actress she is. Are you watching the second series of Happy Valley? You know me and my love of a good police drama. It's that ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances scenario kind of thing. And it's just so refreshing to see a female actor playing her age. And being relevant. And sexy. And cool. With a fab line in no nonsense patter.
• I have foxglove seedlings springing up all down the side of the house. They are everywhere. I've managed to dig up most of them and popped them in a holding bay to grow on a little more, otherwise they are in danger of being trampled on. I figure I can distribute them around the garden and give some away. Anyway it's given me an inordinate amount of pleasure seeing them. No doubt they'll do my head in like the Echium seedlings that sprung up everywhere last year, but for now I am treasuring each and every one.
   
• A new loo seat. It's very fancy, as it's one of those that lowers itself slowly. So no more slamming down of the loo seat by the boys. Or leaving the loo seat up, because watching it fall slowly back to the porcelain bowl is proving quite the thing around these parts.
• We have been watching a dove coming and going in our garden. It is collecting little twigs and other dried up garden material for its' nest. There has been a nesting pair in our ugly palm tree nearly every year that we have lived here. Would it be the same one? Or would it be the offspring of the original nesting pair? It is very fussy as to which twig is suitable. More are discarded than taken. It is obviously a master builder when it comes to a nest.
• Pottering in the garden has been feasible these past few days, because of a little break in the rain. Olly and I have cleared the pond of weed (a thankless task. It will be back before you know it. Anyone have any tips on how to clear it, apart from daily sifting?). We found a couple of newts, which is good news for the health of the pond. Probably not good news for the frog spawn that will soon be laid. But there you go. Nature in tooth and claw right here in our back garden. We've mulched and pruned and clipped and tied back. We have plans for the little shed. Fingers crossed for fine weather tomorrow.
• A tip run. I love a tip run. Stuffing the back of the car with all manner of crap, and taking it to be recycled is a very satisfying task indeed. I always like to have a nosey at other people's rubbish too. It was all garden refuse today. I guess it wasn't just me having a late garden tidy up.
• A list. Specifically a list of DIY. Marc told me to go from room to room and note down all the jobs that need doing. So I have. It's very, very long. To be fair I can do some of it myself. But most of it is outside of my capabilities I'm afraid. Did you know that I am a complete Neanderthal when it comes to most things practical? Seriously, it's like I'm missing a gene or something. I think it's the same one that understands simultaneous equations.
• This song.
  I heard it on the radio the other day, and it made me feel rather nostalgic for my teens.
  
  
• Lemon cake. Alf's favourite. Mainly because Olly isn't keen and so he mostly gets it to himself. Apart from when I have a sneaky slice pre tip run.
• Sunny shadows. Especially those that cast patterns around the house. Shadows of the blinds against the wall, for example. Or of me, above, in the fancy collage. It's that lovely low golden light that's so welcome at this time of year. Of course it also shows up the dust something terrible, but I'm still in denial about all those pesky motes floating about the living room.

I'd love to know a little good thing of yours. What would it be I wonder?

 

Could I just squeeze in one more? I do love a quiet house. No telly, no chatter, no hurly burly. Just me and my blanket. Staring at the wall, or with my nose in a book.

 

Have a fab week, you gorgeous lot.

 

Leanne xx