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I KNOW I'm not the only one to remember that lovely song by Dana, years ago, called These are a Few of My Favourite Things.
So I was entranced to read that a cross-section of Brits had recently been asked to name their favourite things that bring them simple pleasures.
Their answers ranged from having dinner with friends to finding unexpected pound coins down the back of the sofa. But it got me thinking. In today's credit crunch, when we can't always afford what we want, there are so many simple pleasures which are totally free.
Personally, one of my favourite things is walking my dog along the canal and chatting to complete strangers. (It's amazing how you do that when accompanied by dogs and/or young children and since my own brood are now taller than I am, I rely on my dog Jack to make friends for me).
I also love gazing at the canal barges and dreaming of a day when I can afford to buy one. It would be a fantastic bolthole where I could leave the kids to not do the housework and just sit on the water with my laptop. In the meantime, it's enough to merely walk past these amazing barges with their rooftop gardens and amazing names, without trying not to look as though I'm gazing through the lace curtains.
Last summer, during an evening walk, in full daylight (another simple pleasure), I got chatting to a woman on a barge who had a sign saying 'Tea leaves read here'. She invited me in for a cuppa, along with my dog, and her predictions were uncannily accurate.
Other favourite things include waking up late on Saturday mornings without having to dash out of the house for work, or get my teenager up; bouncing on the children's trampoline because they won't let me sell it, even though they're far too old, so I reckoned I might as well make use of it myself, and seeing someone's face light up in one of my creative writing classes when they've written something they didn't know they could write.
What are your favourite things, I asked my new husband. His answers were similar to mine, which was nicely reassuring. (Gentle rain. Sea air. Newly mown grass. The only thing we disagreed on was the smell of vanilla which doesn't do anything for me.) As for my teenage son, it was easy. Lying in bed with his laptop. Having a pint with his friends, now he is legally 18 and doesn't need a fake ID. And crossing the dates off his calendar until he gets to the point when exams are over.
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Weather for Hemel Hempstead
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
