Wonderful Wednesday #116

{Feasting on the bluest and brightest of icey skies lately}
I'm having one of those weeks.  The kind when you wonder how on earth you got to today:  How you your little legs carried you from the start of one day onto another and how much each of them have fast become and felt like one long day.  I'm a little bit tired and as you read this, I'll hopefully be curled up under our 'soft as a cloud' duvet having worked eight days in a row.  Before you go feeling all sad and sorry for me, I'd just like to add at this moment that I'm also now off for ten whole days!  TEN!  I'm beside myself with excitement!  There are no grand plans as such. Just to wind down, catch up and potter around and about and hopefully pedal as much as is possible.  Did i mention that the weather forecast is snow for the rest of this week...?!  I feel like we should probably get onto the good stuff from this week fast..... SNOW in APRIL?!?!?  
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1.  Sleep.  Take my sleep away from me and I'm pretty much useless.  I sometimes envy those who only need a handful of hours of the stuff.  For me it's at least seven or you're in dangerous territory.  I'm grumpy, lack lustre and not really worth being around if I'm not sleeping properly. But when i am i feel like i could run the world and more!  Lately's long stretch of days at work has meant my head has barely touched the pillow each night this week and already I've been asleep!  The heavy and deliciously deep kind where nothing on earth disturbs you and if it wasn't for an alarm clock you feel like you might sleep for years.  Pretty flippin' great if you ask me!

2.  Exercise.  I don't mind telling you {heavens we're all friends here!} that this week I've really struggled.  I've really really had to muster up the want to turn those pedals, to stretch during those workouts and to want to do it with gusto.  But despite really rather wanting to make another cup of tea and not move at all; I've pushed myself to do it.  Each time it's been within in just a few moments that I've been grateful:  grateful to feel fresh air thundering into my little lungs as i pedaled faster and faster around our little park just before dusk.  Stretches that i could just feel doing my little ache-y muscles some good after what often felt like the longest day.  And always, always feeling better inside and out afterwards.  With rosey cheeks to boot!  

3.   Freshly washed hair.  Is it just me or is the thought of washing your hair pretty much the worst thing in the world ever?!  I've perfected the art of only doing mine once a week now {lifesavers come in the form of dry shampoo, waves and many hats incase you're wondering!} but even then the thought of washing it, leaving it as long as is humanely possible before taking a hairdryer to it and then having to make it look half decent is often the most unappealing of thoughts.  I spend far longer not looking forward to it and then quick as a flash, as soon as it's dried, smells all mmmmm and is as swishy and shiny and silky as it ever can be; i forget it quick as a flash.  {I'm hair swishing as i type....}.  Is there anything better than clean hair?!?  Probably realistically but lately it's been right up there with some of my favourite things.  I can't wait for it to be warm enough to go to bed with it slightly damp....

4.  The smell of green. That's right you heard me, it exists for sure.  Since the weather has been less than consistent up north this week, and i've been feeling all sleepy-eyed too - it's been more about appreciating the little green shoots and splashes of colour than it has real and actual rays of sunshine.  You can't not love how lately smells.  I'm forever grateful to live somewhere close by so much green space and i especially love how at this time of year, even if i am living in a city, you still get sweet wafts of grassy and green loveliness as you walk to and from work.  You can even smell it's sweet scent as you sit with the window open just before the sun sets.  Is it just me who loves the scent of grass at dusk?! Reminds me of being little and playing in the garden way past bedtime.... 

5.  Purple Rain.  You'd have to be living under a rock if you didn't know that the great genius and musical legend 'Prince' sadly passed away last week.  Words cannot describe how special this man was and how much wonderful music he tickled my little ears with throughout my life so far.  My mum would listen to Purple Rain turned up so, so loud when i was little and so it's mostly been on repeat lately.  That and pretty much his whole back catalogue.  I'll admit to shedding the odd tear too....such a magical talent.  I feel privileged to have known his music and to be able to have something to keep with me always afterwards too.  

6.  Sundried tomatoes.  I'd live on them if i could lately.  You know when you just get a craving for something?  The kind of craving that has you 'allowing' yourself a certain number of, 'so' many spoonfuls/scoops or pieces of for the only reason that if you don't you fear you might find yourself consuming the whole jar, tub or pot in one sitting?!  I'm allowing myself three a day.....but i could quite happily eat the lot.  I tossed them through fresh pasta on Monday with avocado oil, fresh basil and black pepper.  I've been enjoying them mixed through feta, dipped in hummus or even straight from the jar with a handful of basil leaves.  That Mr of mine is a lucky, lucky man.....

7.  Favourite jumpers on cold, ccccoooold days.  Have we spoken about the weather?!  I mean this time last week i scampered out on my bike without a coat and yesterday we had rain, sleet, hail and the coldest iciest wind that I've felt in forever.  I'm going to breeze {see what i did there?!} right past THAT and tell you that the very best part of yesterday was scampering home as fast as i could, putting on my favourite dark grey skinny jeans, my little pom-pom slippers and my most favourite cream ruffle-y jumper.  And filling my cheeks with a hot bowl of pasta spiked with chilli, capers and oregano.  Where would we be without knitwear?!  Oh and pasta......

8.   Nuts and raisins.  I'm a snacker.  Always have been.  I can't eat a huge and whopping meal or i just want to curl up, render myself 'a lot of useless' and fall asleep.  I eat little and often and that's just that.  This week I've been loving nibbling on mixed nuts and raisins.  They're so easy to pop in a tupperware first thing when I'm making my lunch for a day at work and the addition of a few raisins curbs my sweet cravings without leaving me wanting more ten minutes later.  My favourite nuts are walnuts and pecans....I'm not a squirrel honest! 

9.  The thought of a day off.  Okay I'm not going to be smug but the thought of TEN DAYS OFF {aherm} or honestly even just one day off is the bees knees.  Sometimes the actual thought of it is better than the thing itself.  Unless you know, it's TEN days off.  You really can't beat sinking into bed the night before a day off and knowing that you can spend the whole of the next day moving a little slower, being a little gentler on yourself and maybe adding a chocolate brownie into the mix.  

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Aaaand it's over to you!  Write your own little list of happy today; tell me about something good and great that's been making you smile ear to ear all week or share something you're really looking forward to or that's been making your mid-week that bit easier.  Remember to pop on over and wrap those peepers around my lovely and inspiring bunch of #wonderfulwednesday recruits:  Kate, Michelle, Katie, Jo, Em and Helen and Cat who also write a weekly post just like this one.  Reading a lot of lovely happy lists each week really does brighten my week and really helps - especially if i'm having a tough one!  Remember you can find me as @sallytangle on both Twitter and Instagram if you fancy a natter.

Happy mid-week-ing!