Reason 9. Old friends and snow

Snow has already had a mention and here it is again.....it is snowing therefore I feel happy! One of the benefits of moving to Sheffield is the snow. Chesterfield was in a strange warm microclimate of it's own.  It would be snowing in Sheffield and in Chesterfield we would have sunshine, or worse, drizzle.  Today it is snowing slowly and steadily and the weather forecast says it will continue for a few hours yet.  I am about to put on my lovely warm snowboots, coat, hat and gloves and go and play!
The old friends part is my lovely afternoon sitting around with an old friend and his son, my godson, scanning photos onto a hard drive in preparation for a party they are having.  Sitting around talking about our lives now and when the kids were small....it was fun, companiable, relaxing and everything a saturday afternoon should be.  The snow was just the icing on the cake.

Reason 8: My wonderful dad

My lovely dad went out and found vietnamese rice paper for me today - and took my lucky daughter with him.  They went to an amazing asian wholesalers in Sheffield and it has meant I can actually make what I was intending to make for a 'lets all try making vietnamese food' evening with emptynesters this evening! I feel loved....and that makes me happy. The completed rolls also are a reason to be cheerful. Personally I would not on a regular basis eat food that looks as if it is inside a condom but maybe the vietnamese don't use condoms (or have a different attitude to food that reminds you of genetalia?) anyway, they made me laugh. Time to go out and find out what my fellow diners think of them!

Reason 7: Doing things backwards

This is actually from today and I missed two days so I need to catch up but this is definitely from today......my study buddy's hubby (poetic phrasing there!) pointed out that it is a leap year so I get a day off! That made me laugh.  I am not going to change the title to 366 reasons and I will wait and see which day I miss out.....29th February? 1st April? just a day I definitely don't want to remember? 
My study buddy has now said she is taking the challenge of writing something negative about everything I post so watch this space! 

Reason 6: brunch with my lovely youngest daughter

I am not feeling well today...a pernicious virus has me in its temporary grip.  I didn't relish driving to Chesterfield for 10am and was ambivalent about brunch particularly as I am not hungry (for the first time in months!)
BUT seeing my lovely daughter come down the road to meet me, drinking an americano while she drank her sparkly hot chocolate, discussing the party the night before, laughing, being in Mes Amis again made me feel warm inside.  Shared moments with my daughters make me happy and grateful to have such lovely offspring.

Reason 5: family and snow

Two for the price of one today! SNOW has to be mentioned because it never fails to lift my spirits....Driving across the pennines to collect my brother from Manchester airport I drove through a winter wonderland.  I then had an hour in the car with my brother who I love and who later today went back to Australia.  Precious time, beautiful journey.

Reason 4: online shopping

I love the fact that just two short evenings ago I thought to myself.....what about buying football shirts for my twin nephews for their birthday....pressed a few keys.....and hey presto today what was waiting for me when I got back from work this evening but two (rather sweet) england shirts ready to be wrapped, parcelled and posted off to California tomorrow.  I didn't think that shopping would figure anywhere in this blog but there you go.....four days and I have surprised myself.  Having my thoughts turned into reality and posted through my letterbox today made me feel happy for a while.  

Reason 3: the smiley man at the cinema

My youngest daughter and I went to the cinema tonight to see W.E.. That in itself is a reason to be a bit cheerful.  As we walked towards the screen the man who was taking in tickets gave us a beaming smile.  We couldn't help but smile back....it was infectious.  The funny thing was that he told us we looked really happy! Perhaps happiness is a social virus.......

Reason 2: food for body and soul

My lovely study buddy made me soup - lovely warming soup, and as if that wasn't enough she then made raw chocolate nutty oat bar stuff to keep us going as we talked about the work we will be doing this year on cognitive psychology. Both the food and the kindness in providing it made me feel warm inside.  Her lovely husband then lent me Martin Simpson Cds to listen too - his guitar playing is awe inspiring and it is food for my soul.

I feel nourished.....

Reason 1: my first post ever...

I have a warm feeling inside.....I have not only set up this blog but I have managed to change the font from the dreaded times roman to the beautiful helvetica.  This is a reason to be cheerful in my book.  It is a small step on the journey....the first day...(only 364 left to go) of the rest of my life.