This week’s small pleasures #197

On Sunday morning, during that ‘awake but not wanting to get out of bed because it is the weekend moment’, I listened to an episode of the podcast, The Happiness Lab. This particular instalment was entitled Dial D for Distracted, and focussed on how distracting our mobile phones can be, leading us not to notice the world around us. There was more to the episode than this, but it made me think that it isn’t just screens that distract us, but much of modern life too. When we were in lockdown, I had time to appreciate the birds, the trees, the things around me. Now I rush to work in the dark, so don’t even see the Botanic Gardens, pop out of the office at lunch time for errands, get home and flop in front of the TV. I really feel I need to get back to appreciating the good things we have around us more, noting the small things that make me smile, even if it is just a cheery hello to a familiar stranger. I need to pay more attention to the small pleasures of every day life, not just for my weekly blog post. Anyway….

Food

Well, there was pizza on Thursday evening for the first time in many a month (my favourite seafood one), there was drinks with friends on Friday evening at Glass (Lillet Spritzes all round, a cocktail of gin, Lillet blanc, tonic and lemon), there were crumpets at Squirrel on Saturday morning and eggs and that Swedish speciality, Kalles Kaviar, for Sunday breakfast on fresh bread. There was also homemade lasagne on Saturday night, but no picture I am afraid.

Flowers

The flowers that our friends brought round last week survived well, and the red lilies are still looking fresh and bright. I managed to dry some hydrangeas from recently purchased bunches of flowers as you can see from the featured image at the top. I am moving them around a bit until I find their perfect spot in our living room.

Media

We went to the cinema again on Sunday, this time to see the latest Michael Winterbottom/ Steve Coogan film Greed. A comedy with a message, I guess some people might not find it funny, and others not serious enough. It is not a documentary, but it does try to make a point about certain people in the fashion industry. The cinema was busy, which was great to see. On the small screen, we have been enjoying The Loudest Voice which is proving to be well worth watching. Finally, let’s end on another podcast: 99% Invisible: Gramification. The coda is the best bit and will surely bring a smile to your face.

So that is it for this week. Wherever you are, take care and look out for those little things that bring you joy. What were your small pleasures of the week just past? 

Check out what is making Notes from the Hinterland happy too.

Thanks to Mani over at A New Life Wandering for the original idea.

You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram@thistleandkiwis.  As for Twitter….am totally inactive these days.  If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com