10 things that make me HAPPY!

I was tagged for this meme by Susie of Newdaynewlesson she has done it 3 times so I’m guessing it’s been around a while, so I have been trying to think what makes me happy besides the smalls, the husband, the cats, vinegar with lashings of chips and chocolate and I’m not really that surprised to find out that the thing that makes me happy in a variety of forms is WATER!

Hot showers:- Standing in the shower cubical with a steaming hot torrent of water beating down on my head and shoulders is like a small corner of heaven, I can almost forget that the smalls are usually tearing up her bedroom or ignore the crys of anguish as he gets a toy she wants or vice versa.

The Sea:- Some of my happiest memories involve the sea, I love the beach in spring and autumn when it is warm but not hot and fairly empty, jumping away from the waves and splashing is such good fun.  The sound of the waves is so restful as they lap back and forth.  Body boarding is as exhausting as it is exhilarating. I’m sure surfing is too although I have never been able to stand up myself.   The sea can be so romantic, sitting on the beach watching the sun go down below the horizon, she is a seductive mistress as she can also be so dangerous, it is also a mysterious place worthy of investigation which leads me to…

Scuba diving:- I obtained my PADI open water in Looe, Cornwall in my twenties, sadly I never kept it up but it’s on the list to revisit.  It was a very happy time for me. Two girl friends and I rented a caravan on a park for a week and did our open water on the seafront in Looe, it was a great experience.  My most striking memory was the way the freshwater of the estuary mixed with the salt water of the sea creating patterns and distortion, beautiful.

Rain:-  There is nothing quite so cleansing as the rain, the way the world smells after it has rained all fresh and somehow green is very special. Shutting my eyes and breathing the scent fills me with a centered contentment, it talks to my soul somewhere in the part of me that is still a cavegirl 🙂

Swimming:- Total suspension in water is a really great feeling too, not quite weightless but somehow supported as you push against it and feel it rushing about your limbs, a fabulous way to stretch and work out.

Hot tub:- This is my escape after a long day of smalldom I often feel like I’m sneaking off to the garden to chill out in the bubbles, of course the smalls often do get to go in too, it’s great to see their faces as they play and splash or mess about with balls.  Daddy and I get to talk in the tub, better then anywhere else because there is no TV or laptop, nothing to detract from the conversation – it’s a place to catch up and make sense of stuff, to plan and to dream.

Steam room:- You can keep your saunas the steam room is the place for me and the ultimate in steam rooms is at Bath Thermae Spa
Each steam room is made of glass and has a different essential oil, my favourite is the jasmine and lavender, so restful and the mountain pine is really invigorating – almost cold somehow, there is a waterfall in the middle of the room which will make you feel washed away with force in seconds – it’s paradise on earth. I took Daddy to the spa for his 40th birthday, we had a great time.

Koi pond:- A lot of effort went into creating our Koi pond, it is kidney shaped and 5ft 8inches deep, Daddy designed dug and constructed the pond and filters himself, there is a smaller pond to the left for goldfish, lillies and frogs. The pond has made our garden a happy place to sit and watch the children play, the sound of the water bubbling and the fish splashing are very relaxing, we are very pleased with it. The neighbours were very pleased to see me out and about after all that digging ;-D

Snow:- As Lola would say “Snow is my favourite and my best” Going on a skiing holiday makes me very happy indeed, there is nothing like a wide piste with freshly fallen powder. You push off and ski through marshmallow snow and it makes a swoooosh swooosh sound as you glide down the hill. We had a stunning fortnight in Copper Mountain, CO before the smalls arrived, I think they will be big enough next year for all of us to go – start saving!

Ice:- Ice really is so very civilized, the lovely clink clink noise it makes as it drops into a glass or the plop as it drops into a Baileys.

So there you have it, 10 reasons water makes me feel happy. Now the hard bit, I have to nominate others to do the meme – I’m really sorry if you have done it before…

Yummy Mummy No.1
Mummy musings
It’s all good if you can laugh
Barenakedmummy
Mummywalker
Marianneparis of Paris-Ankara Express
Utterly Scrummy
TattooedMummy
Little green fingers
Blogswallop

All of whom I think will have interesting things to say on the subject of happy….

Photo Credits
Bath Thermae Spa – Steam room