If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands…

Number 92 on my 101 Things in 1001 Days list: Identify 101 things that make me happy. I think it’s about time I get started on this one…

1. Cooking for other people (of course if they end up hating it my emotions will change very quickly…)
2. When I cook something I’ve never done before or completely make up my own dish (no recipe!) and it ends up being really good
3. Hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream
4. Entering a room where music is playing just in time to hear a song I really like
5. Walking down the street and realising I can smell flowers (rather than the usual relentless city smell of petrol mixed with kebab)
6. Finding the perfect gift for someone and actually having the money to buy it
7. The look on the person’s face when I give them said gift
8. Lying in bed watching ER with the boyfriend and knowing that he isn’t just watching it for my sake (at first he only watched it because he knew I liked it, but now he’s actually got into it himself. Result!)
9. Fluffy socks in winter
10. Dark chocolate icecream from that icecream cafe near Marktplatz
11. Watching forked lighting from inside where it’s nice and dry… and having a really good view of the forked lightning
12. Meeting friends for coffee… especially friends I haven’t seen for a while
13. Finishing a translation and knowing I’ve done a really good job
14. A mailbox full of things addressed to me… and none of it is bills
15. Potatoes. Seriously, if you ever want to make me smile just invite me round for tea and serve something with potatoes. Obviously mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food (and instantly become even better if you add cheddar cheese or garlic to them. Mmm), but roast potatoes, jacket potatoes (with a nice crispy skin please!) or even just potato croquettes are just as delicious. Just don’t serve me plain boiled potatoes (with no skin). They are a waste of good potatoes. At least put some butter and rosemary on them to make them taste of something!
16. Books. I love books! If I don’t have anything new to read I’ll go back to an old favourite… even if it is for the 50th time and I can already quote large chunks of the text. There’s nothing worse than having nothing to read. Even a bad book is better than no book at all!
17. Travelling. I love visiting new places. Or even old places that I haven’t been to in a while. I just can’t stay in the same place for too long – maybe being born into an army family has something to do with it. Whatever the reason, after months and months of seeing the same buildings and doing the same things all the time I have to get away. It makes no difference whether it’s a day trip to a nearby village or a full-blown holiday in Spain, just as long as it’s somewhere else.

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