Oh yes, it's back - a quick round up of a few of the things that are making me happy right now.

1. Instagram Stories

Inasmuch as Instagram proper can drive me a little nuts with the algorithmic nonsense and non-chronological feed and bots bots bots, at its best it's a great way to share, and in stories I love sharing the little snippets of my day-to-day life. I'm cmclaire over there. Above, the chaos unleashed while I babysat a friend's child last week.


2. Hello Fresh


After attending an event at Hello Fresh's gorgeous HQ last month (post to follow later this month), I was kindly signed up for a four week trial of the service. I'm enjoying cooking some new recipes up, and Poppet cat loves the boxes!

3. Having a good cry with Lou


Lou is such a favourite of mine, and she'll forever be very special to both Matthew and me, not least because she's the lady who introduced us! Lou got a pair of tickets to see The Girls, the musical based on Calendar Girls currently playing in the West End, and kindly invited me along. We had a great time laughing at the funny bits and having a pretty big weep at the sad bits. Thank heavens for napkins! 

4. Chromecast


We've been meaning to get a Chromecast for ages, and last month Matthew picked one up as a Friday treat. It's so fun to watch things on the big screen that previously we've only seen on iPads. Matthew's loving catching up with all things Blyth Spartans, and I'm enjoying Ru Paul's Drag Race even more now it's at least quadruple the size!

5. Sunshine


I'm formidably bad in the heat, but so help me I adore the sunshine.

6. Gigging


Loved popping along to The Borderline on last Sunday to see Striking Matches play (a country fave of ours we've now seen seven times together!). It was a great gig and I left feeling rejuvenated and rebalanced (and excited for their next album, too!).

7. Angels In America




Also last weekend (I like to keep half-term break busy!) Shona and I went along to see Angels in America at the National Theatre. It. Was. Sublime. A full review to follow, as I'm still processing the whole magical thing. The silly face above? Is me reacting to the 7h 40m runtime!

8. Holiday planning


In a mere six weeks we'll be off to Scandanavia and Germany, taking in Stavanger, Bergen, Oslo, Stockholm, Malmo, Copenhagen, Hamburg and Berlin. I am beyond excited for our adventures and the planning is kicking into gear!

9. Cats



Love catching up with the trio of trouble when I'm home from work. And Simba, too, our friendly neighbourhood hooverer of unwanted extra cat foods! He now likes a good headfuss from me upon arrival, which makes my heart happy.

10. Time with family-in-law








Good food, good company, good sightseeing and good theatre - it was lovely to have Barbara and John (my mother- and father-in-law) down for a good long visit over the half-term break. I'm lucky to have them, and I know Matthew really enjoyed having some quality time with them.


A quick postscript - I wrote this post before the weekend and yesterday I thought twice about whether to publish after the events of Saturday night in the wonderful city I call home. And then I thought, of course I should carry on. London will carry on. We'll carry on moving around, going to work and enjoying this big, messy, amazing city.

I'm heartbroken for those affected by the attack on Saturday, and am keeping them and those who love and miss them in my thoughts and prayers. I'm so proud of and grateful for our amazing emergency services once again and in awe of their brave and selfless response to the scariest and most dangerous of events.

As for me, I'm determined to fight against those who would terrorize us with every tool available to me, whether it's a donation, an act of kindness, a vote, or a silly blog post that might make someone smile. Watching the concert in Manchester last night I was reminded how strong love, music, and community can be, and in the coming weeks and months we'll need lots of all of those things.

Wishing you all a happy, safe, and kind Monday.