Reasons to smile

It’s been a very quiet couple of days in our household, on account of a long working week for me (I’m on day seven and cannot wait for the weekend!) and some troublesome, emerging wisdom teeth for Adam.

When the monotony of the work-eat-sleep schedule gets me down I try really hard to be aware of all the ‘little things’ in my life that bring me joy every single day. It’s a nice way to take stock and remember, that there is beauty and wonder all around us.

So, here are three things making me smile this week…

A few evenings ago I pulled up on our driveway and noticed some green stems emerging from the ground.  Back in May, Adam and I planted a heap of bulbs in our front garden to remind us of England.  It appears the first of daffodils are starting to emerge from the ground after a run of frosty mornings and sunny afternoons.  They’re a little earlier than expected, but now that I’ve spotted them I’m checking in on their progress every time I arrive home. I can’t wait until I’m able to pick my first posie of stems to pop in a vase.

My returned love of reading is sticking around, and I borrowed my latest bedside table companion after spotting the author’s name on the front cover.  I adored Ruth Jones as Nessa in Gavin and Stacey so I thought I’d give her debut novel a shot. It’s easy to read, the characters are human and flawed, and I love that the chapters are only a few pages long. I often only find the time to read just before bed, and when a book has super long chapters it can be a little off-putting when you know you’ll only get halfway through before getting sleepy.   I’m only about a third of the way through, but so far I’m quite enjoying it.

Finally, Wagga Wagga’s had a run of beautiful winter days this week and the sunshine and extra few minutes of light we’re getting now solstice is over, are making the icy mornings and 4:45am alarms a little easier to bear. I love a good rainy winter’s day where you can snuggle up with a mug of hot chocolate… but when you’ve got to work super early, having a few hours of glorious blue sky in the afternoon feels like a decadent treat.

What’s been making you smile this week?

Have a wonderful weekend. x