Wonderful Wednesday #191

{Hey there Mr Blue...{altogether now}.  Celebrating a brief spell of blue at the tail-end of Tuesday}

Lately is getting faster i'm sure of it.  I feel as if my feet don't touch the floor at the moment and that i am forever catching up with things.  We've become a nation of 'catcher uppers' haven't we?!  Truth is sometimes i get overwhelmed with how much stuff there is out there.  It's an amazing thing, that so much information, inspiration and motivational things are there to stimulate us in every way but that's why we're forever playing catch-up:  Because of the enormity of it.  Maybe life isn't getting faster; maybe it's just getting fuller...?!  There's a hum-dinging thought for you!  God bless this corner and for counting the littler, simpler things eh? This week i need it like no other...


1.  Walking.  I think of walking the same way that i think of my bike:  It's something i can do where i can switch off entirely from everything else and just think about putting one foot in front of the other and that's it.  Naturally a beautiful scenic walk is right up there with one of my very favourite things to do {another rock and roll hobby!} but honestly, well even though the Mr drives, i pretty much walk everywhere.  I'm lucky that i can do that where i live and that Carlisle is pretty pedestrian friendly.  This week i've been feeling a little stressed {who knows why - just one of those things} and one thing that definitely helps is that twenty-five minute walk home each night:  Filling my little lungs with fresh air no matter what the weather is doing, keeping up a good pace and switching off from everything that has happened in my day.  

2.  An open window.  Yes lately that is a treat.  Around these parts lately it's been gusts of such strong winds and rain storms and even though it's not been cold at all; it's definitely not been 'open window weather' anymore.  Except for today.  Today is Tuesday - and it's my day off and i'm sat here, in the late afternoon surprising sunshine that snuck completely out of nowhere; with our office window wide open and a massive mug of tea and my little heart is filled with happy.  Is there anything that fresh air can't fix?!  Are you sensing a theme here this week...?!?

3.  New dungarees.  A few years ago i'd never have thought i'd be wearing dungarees, not at least in my thirties.  But hop, skip and a jump to now and they're my favourite 'at-home' attire.  While most people rush to get into their pyjamas as soon as they get in, i always stick on a tee and my favourite faded blue dungarees.  They're the next best thing to yoga pants in terms of comfy - well toilet trips aside.  I've ordered two pairs of dungarees, black ones; so i can pick between the two.  Both have a zip up the front and are a cropped kickflare which i hope will make me look all kinds of comfy and cool.  Maybe i'll snap 'em on my stories and you can help me decide...?  Must not keep both must not keep both......

4.  Chocolate chip shortbread and re-runs of 'The Chateau' on All4.  I feel like i had so, so many things to watch and catch up on TV-wise over the past few weeks and now all of a sudden it's all finished, at the very same time too!  We've resorted to watching one of our favourite documentary series' on demand and from the very beginning all over again.  It's called The Chateau and it follows a couple who bought a decrepit and run down old french chateau and are doing it up and hoping to become entirely self-sufficient from it.   It's my ultimate dream life, in docu-form!  And it's so lovely to watch just before bed too!  What is not so lovely is the habit we seemed to have got into with the chocolate shortbread and tea to accompany each episode..... Ah who am i kidding, tea and biscuits for life!!!

5.  Colour.  We've had such, such grey weather mostly always up in the north of England lately but just the other day, when i was wandering home from work, chasing the last of the light and walking as fast as i could to make it home before dark, i realised my little trip was being 'lit' entirely by a carpet of bright orange and yellow fallen leaves!  Everywhere was brown, grey and gloomy except for the carpet of leaves i was walking on and it was so pretty!  Seeing little glints of colour in the kinds of places where i least expect it has been one of my very favourite things this week.  

6.  Kindness.  Just like good manners, it costs absolutely nothing!  As my mum would say.  This week i have been trying to make even more of an effort to be kind after a kind lady complimented me at work for being so patient with her and for spending so much time helping her.  Which is silly really as that's my job isn't it?!  Either way it really made me feel lovely, and valued and nice.  And whilst i do consider myself a kind, caring and thoughtful person to those around me anyway, it's all too easy to get swept up in your own 'self' and not to see what's going on around you.  Today i reached something down for a lovely lady in Sainsbury's as she was struggling.  But instead of leaving it at that i decided to ask if there was anything else she needed help with or that i could get her and i ended up having a lovely little chat with her and picking up a few other little things for her as i went.  When i went to leave she told me that i had made her day and that made me so happy.  Because really i'd barely done anything special at all except be kind and that was it!  I'm so determined to do this kind of thing more often!  

7.  Waking up in the middle of the night; thinking that your alarm will probably go off any minute and then checking the time and realising that you've only been asleep TWO HOURS.  Is it just me that thinks that's the best feeling ever?!?!?

8.  A lingering Autumn.  Quite often Autumn feels like the shortest season of them all.  The leaves start to turn, then after one big gusty-gale filled night of bad weather all of a sudden they've all fallen and we awake to icy temperatures that will most likely last until at least May.    This year though, well she's clinging on, Autumn's hanging around for longer than normal and while most people seem to be complaning about it; I am not one of them!  



9.  Candlelight.  Yes, yes you're chit-chatting to the gal who waxes-lyrical {sorry i couldn't not} about scented candles all year round and not just during the cooler months.  They're my little corner of cosy come whatever the weather and whatever the time of year but lately it's not just been about the smell; it's mostly been about the light.  Because no kind of lamp, as soft or as beautiful as you think it is,  will ever give off the same beautiful soft and golden glow that candlelight does.  Lately our cosy evenings have been all about the candle light and even if i do own about a million candles at one given moment and as if that isn't already enough then i've also been adding tealights into the mix too:  Dropped into old jam jars and a few vintage bottles and glasses i have.  Cosying up with some tea, biscuits in beautiful golden candle light, AH!!!  It makes me happy times a squillion! 

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And this gals done:  La-la-listed out!  Just joking!  Do you know today was one of those days i worried that i wouldn't be able to think of any great and good things.  Sometimes my week comes and goes and time flits and flurries by me so fast that i sometimes don't give it any thought until i sit down; armed with a hot beverage and a playlist and one almighty exhale.  But once i start, it's almost like it opens up a silly little flood gate:  i remember things i might have as easily put right to the back of the 'cupboard' usually and not thought of again and remembering them brings back another little wave of lovely.  It's actually rather therapeutic!  ANYWAY!  Enough from me!  If this little list isn't enough happy {and quite frankly can you ever have too much...?!!?} then park your bottom and head right on over to Jo, Helen, Michelle, Sarah, Kate, Cat, Sam, El , Kerri's, and Peta's blogs and catch up with all that is 'Wonderful' and 'Wednesday' -shaped over there.  Remember to use the #wonderfulwednesday tag in anything you post similar so we can share {and also join in - we're a talkative bunch!} and see too!  AS always, on every last thing:  I'm @sallytangle.

Have a wonderful rest of week!