5 Things that make me happy

You know that song about favourite things… yes, from The Sound of Music? Well, if you think about it, we all have favourite things that make us happy….

 

I was thinking about things in my house that I use (almost) daily and that bring a certain joy to my life.  Makes my life better.  And, they are not big or expensive or even in monetary terms that valuable, but they do have a certain emotional value that makes me happy.

Five things that make me happy and every day better:

Flower vases

I have many flower vases, but mainly two that I’ve been using often over the past year or so. They are both from Sostrene Grene, a Danish retail chain, and a bit more unusual than the normal clear glass ones.   Most flowers look fantastic in them…. and I love flowers as well.

Beautiful crockery:

I love crockery and not only plates, but also little bowls and dishes. These are ideal when you’re have guests over (whenever that is going to happen again) for snacks and dips. But you can also just use them for dessert.

I have so many little dishes and bowls which have patterns and colours I adore. The colours probably clash and they’re most likely not a set, but then I’ve never been a person where everything needs to match.

 

Notebooks:

They can be any size, but I do prefer a hardback A5, just a tiny bit more. I’m drawn in by colours (again) and patterns (again). And, although I usually have a spare one, I use them….for writing mostly.

Flower bulbs:

Planting flower bulbs in November and then from February…. they start to make an appearance.  Love that.  Especially because the winter months are so long in Ireland, or it feels long, and you need to look forward to something.  I sometimes forget where and what I have planted, so the surprise is even bigger.  My one friend is very organised and she plants bulbs in layers with the one blooming the last planted first. Clever.  I have to learn some of that….

 

Moka coffee pots:

In honour of my website’s name (I do love good coffee) one of the things I use daily (a few times) is our Moka coffee pot. It is a coffee pot where you brew the coffee on the stove. It consists of three parts. The bottom part where you put the water in, the strainer which slots on top of this filled with ground coffee and the top part where the coffee brews. As the water starts boiling in the bottom part, the steam creates pressure and forces the water through the filter into the top part from which you pour the coffee.

I was gifted a moka coffee pot from my brother and his family who lived in Italy, way back in 2002. It is of course a recognisable symbol of Italian culture invented by Italian engineer Alfonso Bialetti in 1933. Well, I was hooked.  We’ve never looked back and only use these.  It makes the best coffee by far and the smell is amazing.

 

There are so many more things that make me happy, like the birds nibbling on the bird feeder just outside the window, snow in Ireland, sunshine, our happy dog, the sea, books to read, movies…..

What are some of your favourite things?