Wonderful Wednesday 21

HELLO all! I think the start to this week has been one of very FAVOURITES for a long long time - I shall find it extra hard to pick out a handful of goodness for you for i feel like i could just write and write about all of the little things that have been bringing a smile to my cheeks lately.  I booked Sunday to Thursday off this week, simply to use up holiday days at work, and so my week so far has been a little blissful!  We have been lucky up here in Cumbria to have such beautiful sunshine-y weather since Friday last week - give or take the odd bout of grey cloud.  The rain showers have just been kept at bay and it has completely re-energised me.  What a difference half decent weather makes?!  I am always in awe of that.  I have been completely plan-less, apart from riding those two-wheels as much as i can squeeze in, and so it really has been just what i needed as the dreaded summer sales loom at work.  But less of the paragraphs, lets get down to the good stuff!
*  BARE FEET.  I wish i could always be bare foot. There is something so relaxing and lovely to pad about bare footed.  Lately i have loved wafting about from one room to another in airy cotton smock dresses and bare feet.  I love our beautiful wooden floors, it was one of the reasons i fell for this little place:  The fact that there was so much visible wood and so much light.  I am even enjoying our icy cold bathroom clay tiles.  Which is usually one of the things i hate first thing in the morning!  
*  Tealights in jam JARS.  I really am having a little love affair with old fashioned typeography lately (along with the rest of mankind) and so saving our old jam jars for peonies, tealights and other kinds of paraphenalia that has no place (read: everything) is sort of perfect right now.  Having our massive livingroom windows open as wide as can be come sunset, with tealights twinkling on jam jars is so cosy.  I would like to take a moment to tell you i do not appreciate the moths that comes with those pretty window sill tealights.  But i am willing to compromise.  
*  LANA. Oh Lana, what is summer without you?!  Most people i know find Lana Del Ray a bit depressing.  I am quite happy to have her all to myself though.  She isn't someone who i'd make a real effort to see (sorry Lana) but somehow her music is just Summer all over for me. She released a new album this week too.  Its just perfect for lazy, hazy Summer afternoons or twilight bike rides.  
*  Donut PEACHES and cottage CHEESE.  Before you judge, please try this award winning (okay so just House of Tangle award winning - i might have made that up) combination.  I struggle for lunch inspiration when it gets really warm.  Just in the way that i don't feel quite as hungry and i am constantly craving sweet and juicy ice cold fruit.  I long for something refreshing but something that will also fill me up.  I am much more of a snacker over Summer time, rather than being able to eat a big meal.  Great mouthfuls of sweet juicy peaches with spoonfuls of the kind of cottage cheese you can stand a spoon up in is my kind of heaven.  A few oatcakes or walnut crackers on the side and it just does the trick.  You could also swap the peach for strawberries and torn up basil or even a tart granny smith apple and a side of chutney.  
*  Freshly picked LAVENDER and ELDERFLOWERS.  The smell alone is all kinds of lovely.  For now a few sprigs of each are in a little jam jar (man alive we get through the jam!) in my our office.  I am undecided what to do with elderflowers this year…i feel like i want something more exciting than an elderflower cordial.  In my head i reckon an elderflower gin might be quite nice.  As much as someone who has never drank gin in her life can think.  I reckon it could be all kinds of delightful swizzled through a tall icy glass of raspberry lemonade?  As for the lavender, well I am quite just enjoying having it sprinkled into my rose lemonade.  This could be a Pinterest kind of project.  
*  PEONIES.  The week before last I couldn't find any peonies left anywhere.  They are like gold dust around these parts - and its not hard to see why.  In a 'my windowsills are flower-less and i must find something to rectify this' i bought three small bunches of sweet williams. Whilst they were beautiful and so colourful, they also filled about six different containers and our little flat ended up looking like i belonged to the sweet william appreciation society.  And since then i have seen peonies everywhere.  At least it felt that way.  On Monday i finally gave in.  The sweet williams had run their course and had been condensed down into two glass jars and so there was room once more! The peonies are now taking over our side table.  So much so that i had to put my tea and toasted teacake on the rug this morning as there was no room.  Man alive they are beauties though.  My very favourite flower in the whole wide world.  Is there anything more beautiful than a bright pink pom-pom peony?!
*  New CUP.  I had a devastating moment the weekend before last:  in a sleepy stupor (and after too many days in a row at Monsoon Towers and not enough sleep) i dropped my favourite china cup.  Luckily it was empty.  But it scattered across the floor into a million pieces! Despite the fact that we own close to twenty cups, none of them make my morning lady grey taste quite right.  So i have ordered the most beautiful blue and white china oversized teacup from Anthropologie.  It took a while.  Not to choose as i had been eyeing up said cup for longer than i should care to admit.  I just kept adding beautifully printed plates with bumblebees and owls on and stationary in all colours of the rainbow until i realised i didn't need any of that kind of stuff.  
*  SUNGLASSES.  For saving my life. Which might seem a tad OTT but anyone else that suffers with hayfever at this time of year will hopefully feel my plight.  I have always felt like a wally in sunnies.  Like they draw too much attention to me.  This makes no sense for a gal who will happily wear what resembles half of a garden centre attached to her head, or a dress inside out, upside down or fastened around somewhere it shouldn't be.  I can't explain the reasoning behind this one.  Anyway, since my eyes have been itchy, scratchy and mascara-less (since it ends up halfway down my cheeks anyway) sunglasses have been a godsend.  Also useful for nosey people-watching with a large cappuccino.  * * * Jeepers i have been on a bit of a ramble with this one!  Can you tell that i have spent a lot of my time alone lately? Its a good job i've got you lovely lot or i'd go mad i think.  Now it's your turn! What has been making you as happy as Larry lately?  Whoever Larry might be that is.  Please share, i do love reading all of the little things that keep you smiling whatever they might be.  Or you can tweet me @sallytangle using #wonderfulwednesday It would make my whole week!