Unlike one of the characters in my novels, who despises lists of all kinds: to-do lists, bucket lists, top travel places to visit lists, books you should read before you die lists, I on the other hand am a big fan. Especially fun lists. Lists for the sake of having a list are a real source of happiness for me. My personal best is a list of things I love at the moment.

It is an excellent form of procrastination at work. While I’m driving or just generally breathing air in and out on a daily basis, I’m mentally awarding stars and putting things into a list of favourite things as I go. It’s wildly fun and as I mentioned a complete waste of time, which is fun in and of itself. You’ve got to have a hobby right? There is a wellbeing component to it, which I suppose is gratitude related but honestly I just do it because the radio is on the fritz. I’m kidding. It’s my Ipod.

Anything can creep into my mental bag of fun. So I thought I might actually put all this brain cataloguing to good use and share it with you guys. I’ll be doing top favourites for the month by random number. It’s a no nonsense, no pretence list – just the things I’m currently loving and enjoying. It’s not in order of preference, or by type, however. I mean I’ve got to have some semblance of a life.

My Feb favourites

1. My Grandmother Sends her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman. Laugh out loud, poignant, irreverent, and quirky – the best book I’ve read in years. “All seven year olds deserve a superhero,” is the first line where you meet Elsa a Swedish seven-year-old who is Harry Potter obsessed, part genius, possibly one of the best characters I’ve come across in a very long time. Love.

2 The sea.

3. Carbs. I have recently reintroduced them and am now starting sensible diet #66567575675. Yay for bread.

4. English bulldogs. Like seas, all bulldogs are wonderful, but mine is the best – here is Fudge.

5. Avocados with lemon on toast.

6. My husband, no he didn’t ask me to say it 😉

7. My publishers Bookouture, and the cover for The Summer Escape

8. The kind, and welcoming Bookouture authors

9. Honey with peanut butter on toast

10. Berocca. Saving me from myself when no sleep is had

11. Reruns of River Cottage

12. Jamie’s Super Food

13. Hammocks

14. The idea of nap rooms

15. The Worried Writer Podcast

16. The Creative Penn Podcast

17. This Ted talk by Carrie Green

18. Ophelia, by The Lumineers

19. The colour duck egg blue

20. Pinterest – check out my board called ‘A Little Cottage by The Sea’ – Would be a great book title I think. It’s serving as inspiration for book 3.

21. Cooler weather. I’m in South Africa at the moment where there have been rolling heat waves since December

22.My Ipad mini – a daily source of kindle-related joy.

23. Dr Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory

24. Call the Midwife season 5

25. Robert Frost’s poem The Woods are lovely, dark and deep

26. Stone cottages with slate windows

27. Selling my house and planning our relocation to the English countryside

28. Cornwall. Always.

29.Bunting. Because really

30. Writing sheds

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let me know if you’re also a fan of fun lists, and what your favourite things are for the month!

Uncategorized Cottages February favourites Fun lists love list Procrastination The Summer Escape writing Writing Sheds