Hello!

Life is a lot at the moment isn’t it? I know lockdown has been lifting for a while but it feels like I’ve spent six months in restrictions, the weather’s been nice but I live quite far away from any friends or family now so haven’t been able to see many people and my work life has been very hectic… So spending a little bit of time making a list of things that make me happy is going to be a good therapeutic exercise and a nice thing to look back on!

In no particular order:

• the smell of grass after it rains in the summer
• reading in the garden on my new sun lounger
• lighting a candle I’ve been saving for special occasions
• dance parties to Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat with my boy
• my house plants
• the light in our living room first thing in the morning
• redesigning my island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• binging all the YouTube videos on my Watch Later playlist
• picnics with friends on sunny days
• game nights with friends on rainy nights
• knitting my ‘scarf’ which is just lots of rows of the same stitch over and over again
• watching tiktoks and not minding losing 1-3 hours of my life
• reading in bed while the sun is still up
• playing ‘ready, steady, cook’ with whatever food we have and accidentally making something really delicious
• keeping my bullet journal up to date
• when I’m in such a good writing flow that I feel like the story is writing itself
• sewing a cross stitch kit
• talking to my mum
• reading whilst cuddling with my boy
• bubbles
• ordering spontaneous take out
• trips to The Range, B&M and/or Wilkos
• 2am giggles with the person I want to spend forever with
• music by All Time Low
• buttered toast
• rewatching every film in the MCU… again
• rewatching the entire Harry Potter franchise
• live music
• going for long walks (and playing Pokemon Go… I know)
• an empty laundry basket
• reading a book so good that you can’t put it down
• having at home spa nights with face masks, foot masks and properly moisturising
• using my sewing machines to make face masks
• buying myself flowers
• chocolate
• fidget toys
• my bear factory bear (yeah, pre-Build a Bear)
• coloured pens
• stickers!
• lying on my bed and listening to music
• giving my loved ones surprises
• picking pictures for my photo wall
• scrapbooking
• decluttering the house
• fairy lights
• Lucas, my fiancé person
• the music in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• space and galaxy themed things
• a Tescos meal deal (chicken salad sandwich, a kinder bueno and Ribena)
• tap dancing
• sitting down after a busy day having ticked off everything on my to do list
• the opening notes of Les Miserables in the theatre
• doing paper crafts in my bullet journal at the start of each month
• potatoes
• summer evenings – the cooler air, the colours of the sky when the sun sets, BBQs and fire pits with friends – just the best

Many of these things are summer themed because that’s what’s making me happy right now, but I’m sure I could do a cosy winter version too!

Thank you for reading,

Sophie xx