I'm officially 30!!!!

I'm officially 30!!!! I was born at 11.20 on a Sunday, 17th of June in 1979. If you follow me on Twitter, you'd know that birthday celebrations started on Saturday, with a fabulous party that boyfriend organized for me (as if I needed any more proof that he's the best boyfriend in the world!). Lots of people came, including some surprise visits from Spain. There was a BBQ, a masseur, cupcakes, chocolate fountains, good weather, and lots and lots of presents! I had a fantastic time, but I'm still recovering, so today will be spent lazying around, walking around the river in Oxford and if it doesn't rain, we'll have a nice picnic outside. I was organized enough to get the week off from work and am having a great staycation at home!



I'm expecting maturity to kick in any moment now. I'll be all grown up, I'll know what I'm doing with my life and I'll suddenly discover what I want and how to get it! That's how it works, right? RIGHT?

In the meantime, I'm worrying because I haven't finished the book for the Hermit Book Club yet, and I have to pack for Blog Camp! I'm incredibly excited!!!!!!!!! So I won't be here much until next week, but I'll be over at those blogs. Come and visit us there!

Simple things, happy things

Yesterday, I spoke about small details and today, it's all about the simple things that make us happy. Christina, over at Soul Aperture, invited us all to make a list.

This is my simple list of things that make me happy:

• An entire afternoon spent browsing a bookshop

• Having a whole day to do nothing but read a book

• Reading other people's blogs and thinking: "That's exactly how I feel!"

• Coffee in the morning

• A hug and a kiss from my boyfriend, that's when I love him the most

• Slow Saturday mornings

• Sunny weekends when I can go out and play

• Rainy weekends when I can stay in and read or make things

• My new camera and the photos I'm taking with it

• The excitement of starting a new project
  

What would you put in your list?

Time for everything

Do you know how we are always running around trying to get ahead of time? Getting stressed because there are just not enough hours in the day to finish everything in our to do list? How we never spend a day doing nothing because there is always something to do? Well, this weekend I didn't have to. I woke up on Saturday with a feeling that I had almost forgotten. Something that I hadn't felt since I was a child. The knowledge that there is, indeed, time, that we don't need to rush, that at least once in a while we can stop and look around, take in the beauty of being here and doing nothing else. Magically, the two days of my weekend seemed to stretch so that I had time to do a lot of nothing and enough time to do everything that was on my list.
And so, magazines were read and cut, books were finished, the fabric for my dressmaking project was cut, meals were prepared (with my help; this almost never happens, the boyfriend cooks. I know, I'm lucky), naps were taken, photos were selected for my Mood postcards, new blogs were discovered... there was even some time to write in my journal.
I wish I knew where that feeling came from, and what it was that made me feel relaxed and productive at the same time. For it doesn't happen often and I know it won't last. Soon I'll be fretting around again, my piles of magazines and books always growing, my lists getting longer and longer.
Maybe it was the intermittent rain that we had all weekend. It relaxed me and made me sit still, listening to the drops. I almost wish it rained every day.

It's the small things...

Amanda over at Sucker for marketing published 6 unimportant things that make her happy and invited us all to play along. So here it's my list!

Weekday mornings: Now, hear me out, not that I'm crazy to go to work, but I've come to cherish the time in the mornings before I go to work. I've got into the habit of getting up an hour earlier than I need to and so I'm normally the first one up. I love getting down to the kitchen, putting the kettle on, having the first coffee of the morning (one of many), and sitting down with my coffee and my journal or my Mac, to think, write, or read.

Home made fruit smoothies: They make me feel good and healthy and they are so, so yummy!

Borders: I love the Borders in Oxford. I should probably tell you that the concept of a bookshop where you can browse, pick up books or magazines, sit down with them (and a coffee), and just relax and enjoy is completely alien in Spain. I literally could not believe it the first time that I got into Borders when I moved here 8 years ago. It's still my favourite place, although I should probably not go so often, specially when I'm trying to think before I buy.

Friends, the TV series: I know what you are thinking. It may not be the best TV program in the history of TV, but a good episode of Friends never, ever fails to put me in a good mood. In fact, J has learnt that when I'm having "one of those days", he only has to suggest we watch an episode to make me happier.

Blogging: Why? Real people ask me (that's people not in the blogosphere). Let me see: I've made new friends, there's going to be a blog camp, and we're starting a book club. In blogs I find lots of inspiration, laughs, beautiful photos, crazy ideas, random facts... and all, without leaving the house.

My pink wellington boots! which are not really pink, but anyway...

What small things make you happy?

Where would you wake up tomorrow?

Fifty People, One Question: Brooklyn from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

It makes me happy that so many people would wake up exactly where they woke up today.

@ Fifty people, one question.