You can keep your super yachts and your fancy hotels* some of my very favourite things in life don’t cost a thing…
Fresh bed linen
Getting into a bed made up with freshly-laundered bed linen is one of my very favourite things. In fact I would go as far as to say that clean bed linen day is my favourite day of the week. Unless something absolutely awesome happens on another day.
The post-workout happy high
The feeling you get at the end of a run, or a cardio class, or whatever your favourite workout is, when you know you pushed yourself as hard as possible and you’re a hot, sweaty, but happy mess? That.
Spending time with old friends
You might not see them very often but you always pick up exactly where you left off. Also they probably have photographs and stories that could ruin your carefully cultivated grown up reputation. Keep them close!
A hot drink on a cold day
The rain is coming down sideways outside, but you’re inside in the warmth feeling all cosy with a mug of coffee/hot chocolate/tea.
A cold drink on a hot day
At the opposite end of the scale, a cold drink (soft or not) when your skin’s been warmed by the sun and there’s sand between your toes. Even better.
Getting to the end of the to do list
Of course you never get to the very end of your overall to do list because, let’s face it, there’s always something to do but, getting to the end of the tasks you’ve set yourself for one particular day, actually crossing off that final thing, it makes me want to high five myself!
Seeing the sun rise
Being up when most of the rest of the world is asleep and seeing a sun rise that turns the sky shades of red, orange and yellow that a iPhone camera (or any camera) just can’t capture is one of the bestest. I am the nutter that gets up before dawn on holiday to head to the nearest beach and watch the sun kiss the day awake.
A lie in
That said and, despite the fact that my body clock wakes me up around 5am (sometimes earlier) and, usually, I get up and do stuff, every now and again I like a lie in. Extra points if I have a pile of magazines or a brilliant book to hand. In my third year at uni I had a fridge with a mini kettle on top next to my bed, so I could make a hot drink without getting out from under the duvet. Best lie in scenario ever.
Being part way through a brilliant book
A book that’s so brilliant you don’t notice it’s nearly dark outside. You want to get to the end but at the same time you want it to last forever. One of those books.
#Winning at tube travel
Arriving at the tube station at the exact moment your tube pulls in. Getting off the tube in a multiple tube line journey and being in exactly the right spot to get to the next tube line. Getting a seat on the tube. All of the aforementioned happening in one journey? Priceless.
What are your favourite simple pleasures? Do share below!
*Although if anyone would like to invite me onboard their super yacht or whisk me off to a fancy hotel, that would be lovely.
Images: Toast
I agree, fresh bed linen is the best!
It really is, isn’t it?!
So many little things make me smile…
Taking something to the checkout to be told it costs less than you thought.
The smell of bacon cooking on a Sunday morning.
The first pop of colour in the garden telling you spring is on its way.
Getting a cup of tea exactly as you like it.
Lying back in a hot bubble bath with a face mask on.
But my favourite is every morning when I start to stir is hearing a jingle of a collar and my little dog then snuggling up against me. She never jumps up on the bed until I move. That usually means I get 10 minutes of snuggles before I have to get up.
Yes to all of the above Claire. Snuggles with your dog sounds lovely!
I LOVE it when someone makes you the exact right cup of tea!! Makes being at work a tiny bit more bearable 🙂
Really like this post. Right now very much enjoying a cold drink on a hot day. Working from home in the garden (naughty, I can hear my phone… honest) in the garden and just made a yummy slushy mango type drink. So good! Tropical Scotland!!
Yummy slushy mango drinks sounds delish Nikki, hurrah for working from home on sunny spring days!
All of the above!! Will particularly enjoy seeing the sunrise with sand between my toes on the beaches of Bali this time next week!! <3
Oh, have a wonderful time Vanessa, Bali is one of my fave places in the world!
Miranda! I have just realised that I should have done a reader request! Very disappointed in myself for not thinking of this! If you have any tips you want to share on Ubud and mainly good places to eat with some interesting healthy options then that would be amazing!!
Vanessa, get yourself to Mozaic if you can! You will need to book NOW! Probably one of the best meals of my life, incredible flavours and a magical garden setting.
Hey Vanessa, it’s quite a long time since I was in Bali (probably about ten years) and so, even if I could remember the places I went to, I’m not sure they would still be there! I follow @welikebali on Instagram and they seem to eat pretty healthy, although I’m not sure where in Bali they’re based. Would definitely be worth a bit of Insta research, I often find great places by following local hashtags and seeing who people based in an area follow. x
Awesome list! I’d add
Seeing a recipe you really fancy and having all the ingredients
That half an hour when you’ve finished cleaning the house and feel totally justified in laying on the settee with a magazine and admiring your handiwork
Impromptu picnics
Yes to all of those Claire, especially impromptu picnics!
Love all of these suggestions. One of my simple pleasures is smelling the first cut grass of the summer whilst lying under a blue sky with the odd breeze and then conversely hearing the rain on the roof of your tent whilst you’re all snuggled up inside.
Love hearing rain on a tent roof also, as long as it’s not TOO heavy!
The sound of thunder rolling in gets me every time. When I’m inside my house, not in a tent though.
Love thunder! And yes Miranda you don’t want the rain to be so heavy it leaks through the tent! Not fun!
You write beautifully Miranda.
I agree – Freshly laundered sheets are heavenly and the simple pleasures in life are the very best.
Aw, thank you Jody, that’s lovely to hear!
Looking at the sea, and standing on a beach fills me with such calmness.
Seeing my garden grow in spring with bursts of colour and life. Coming home and being greeted by my two dogs who are so happy to see me makes me smile no matter what day I’ve had.
I don’t have green fingers or dogs, but I’m totally with you on standing on a beach, staring at the sea Stacey, whether it’s a stormy scene, a sun soaked summer’s day, or somewhere in the between!
The sun. At anytime… just walking outside and feeling the sun on your face make me so happy and can turn my mood in a flash 🙂
When on holiday the first time you stretch out in your bikini on the sun lounger and feeling the warmth of the sun on your body!
Getting into water – whether it’s a bath or a pool or the sea. That first glorious feeling – I do make a happy sighing noise! Even a shower makes me feel a million times better – I couldn’t cope in the morning without one.
Freshly washed hair – I don’t understand people who go days without washing their hair. I get it’s a pain in the ass but having nice soft silky Aussie (in my case) smelling hair. I just feel better 🙂
Anything toasted with butter…. bread, hot cross bun, tea cake, bagel etc.
Hot chocolate – it’s like a hug from the inside
Hugs… from anyone. Husband, friend, family. I love a good hug.
Your simple pleasures are making me want to book a beachy break immediately Lynn, yes to sun, stretching out on a sun loungers and diving into the ocean! I wash my hair most days, can’t stand it when my hair doesn’t feel clean. Agreed anything toasted with butter is good. Lots of butter. And hugs!
– Hot buttered toast…yum! Its my weekend breakfast treat 🙂
– A brilliantly made cup of tea – most cups of tea are standard (good, but nothing to write home about), but every so often you just nail it and its the best cuppa ever! You’ve probably done nothing different from normal but its amazeballs – if this ever happens to me I NEVER have a 2nd cup of tea, its never as good and spoils the first brilliant cup!
– Something that Carrie spoke about on Sex and the City:- being/getting in to the nook i.e. that place where you snuggle into on your man (generally on the chest area) that just feels right and snuggly warm 🙂
– Ice-cream from Auntie Betty’s (Stonehaven, outside of Aberdeen)
– Pajamas:- I LOVE pajamas, I could quite happily live in them! To the point that during the week my husband was out with friends and when I got home from work he suggested I meet them in town stating that “it would be nice to see you out of your pajamas!” (not in a sexy way at all!!), cheeky beggar!!
Haha, pyjamas rule Annie, I can often be found in PJs or yoga pants for much of the weekend! Sounds like I need to try Auntie Betty’s ice cream. Love a good cup of tea, but my first coffee of the day (usually only coffee these days tbh) is my fave!
Line dried bedlinen – I can’t stop sniffing it!
The smell of my children after a long day in the sun – warm skin, suncream, dust and happiness.
HOT tea, that you get to drink right to the bottom before it goes warm.
Lighting a fire – in the grate, in the garden but best of all when wild camping.
Swimming in a river – the water feels so soft and totally different to a pool or the sea.
Great list Rachel, fires are brilliant, especially outdoors, there’s something about them, they draw people to them and the smell…!
Oh Miranda, I definitely share the tube satisfaction! That feeling as you arrive on the platform just as the train pulls in is only improved by actual seats/space in the carriage and also goes some way to wipe out how it feels when you arrive on a platform to a 5 minute wait! #commutersproblems!!!!
Haha, Mrs R! Aarrgghh to the 5 minute wait, don’t they know we have places to be?! I mean, 5 whole minutes, what???!!!