These are a few of my favourite things

Its a dull day here today. Low, grey clouds, heavy with impending rainfall - oh there it comes. Lets add a bit of mental sunshine.

Here's a short not exhaustive list of things that make me smile.

• Making a list of countries you want to visit and then pinterest boards for each

• The smell of baking

• When a book consumes you and it feels like you've entered a new world

• Avocados

• New notebooks

• Packing the car for a road trip

• Getting a letter in the post

• When your dog gets an adrenalin rush

• Buying plane snacks and a new book in the airport

• Texts from friends you are thinking about in that moment

• Childhood photographs

• Butlers hot chocolate

• The soft warm glow of a lamp in the evening

• Standing under a tree during a shower of rain; being sheltered, hearing the pitter patter of droplets and smelling the petrichor

• When the scissors glides along the wrapping paper as you cut it

• Ticking items off a 'to do' list

• Fresh bed sheets

• Neopolitan pizza

• When the lights dim in the cinema

• Sharpening a pencil and it doesn't break

• Wearing new shoes out for the first time

• Making people laugh

• Dancing with friends to your anthem

• The silence that follows when you turn off the hoover

• Opening a fresh jar of peanut butter/nutella/jam, seeing its perfect smoothness and knowing you're about to destroy it

• Newborn lambs in their wrinkly skin jumpers

• Pressing shuffle and the perfect song comes on

• Long walks on the beach

• Tea and chats with friends

• Tim tams

• When the person scooping the ice cream gives you a nice big scoop

• Live theatre that makes you laugh out loud

• Good coffee

• The aura of possibility and infinity in bookshops

• Smooth jazz in the evening

• Debriefing after a holiday/night out with friends

• Pressing submit on an assignment and closing every single tab

• Bakeries

• Hitting a tennis/golf ball and it feels like your arm is one with the racket or club

• Fruit salad

• The sound of striking a match and it gasping into flame

• When kids come back with priceless responses

• Hearing your country's national anthem and feeling a swell of pride

• Live concerts and you can feel the music throughout your body

• Smiling at yourself in the mirror after you brush your teeth to get a load of those pearly whites

• Perfectly timed GIFs

• Finding money in your pocket

• When a day that started off bad ended up being amazing

• Turning on the lights in the evening and suddenly the room is brighter and everything is clearer. Science!

• Collecting friends or family from the airport

• Walking through the grocery shops in different countries

• Making this list and noticing all the quirky fun times in life