1) Discovering that I have a reader, wasn’t someone who I had thought would actually be reading this.. I know that this is read way more than I realize, but each time that I get confirmation that this isn’t just going into the either, well it makes me happy..
2) Meeting up with people after work, it was good to have a chat and put things into perspective.
3) Wearing my bowler hat to work, (or as some people at work call it my drinking hat), it makes me feel smarter than average, and gives me confidence to tell a young person to take their feet off the seat.. Which they did, partly out of shock that someone spoke to them on the train I suspect..
Category Archives: Happy
[Happy] Protest, Calories out, calories in..
1) Reading about a group of American students protesting against a ruling that will allow people to carry a concealed weapon onto campus. The have started to openly carry dildos something that is banned under the same set of rules. Genius.
However I suspect that they will not choose the slogan “Guns out, dildos in!”
2) Managing to do hill intervals on my cycle ride home.. I deliberately rolled back down the hill twice this evening.. Not ever been that dedicated before.
3) Having a chocolate treat after dinner.. Not had a Tunnock’s caramel in a while now.
[Happy] A relaxing weekend..
1) I have my track bike back, well more precisely I have the frame of my track bike, and a new shiny set of forks.. So now I can begin the complex job of putting her back together again.
The new paint job is excellent..
2) I baked a cake! Not baked anything in ages. I like baking, not just because you end up with cake. This weekend’s lemon drizzle cake was not quite as fluffy as I had hoped and the oven was too hot so it didn’t cook evenly, but it still tasted great.
3) Did a fair amount of driving, which I actually enjoyed, managed to ignore the nutters turn the radio up, set the car into loud mode and actually focus on the driving. At one roundabout saw an E-type Jaguar, we exchanged glances, partly because even though it was cold out, I had the roof down.
4) Dinner out with friends, they cooked, so we were treated with some excellent food, and just a touch too much wine..
5) Sunday lunch, with the same friends.
6) Pizza for tea.
[Happy] Bikes, chocolate and washing up..
1) I spoke with the very nice man who has been fixing my bike today, and not only is it now ready, but it is less expensive than I was expecting. So that a good thing, now I just need to rebuild the wheels, and replace several other components that are worn and she will be good to go again..
2) There was lots of Pret chocolates left over from today’s client meetings, I don’t think much of their sandwiches, (so the left over sandwiches were not very interesting to me) but the tray of chocolate bites is a weakness of mine.. Not sure that I should admit that I think that I ate a whole tray.. oops.. but very tasty, and it has been a stressful week so I did appreciate them..
3) Got the kitchen tidied this evening, it has been bugging me during the week. I’m thinking that I might bake tomorrow, but that requires a tidy kitchen before I can start. I like baking, but it requires me to be in the right mind set before I can start. Something that has been eluding me for quite some time now.
[Happy] sitting, walking, and getting beaten up..
1) I got a seat on the train, wasn’t the train that I wanted to catch, as that one had been cancelled and I had to walk up to the other station in order to get into town. But I got a seat.
2) Managed to get out of the office for a short walk at lunchtime. It was sunny so it was good to see some daylight.
3) Had a session with the Osteopath this evening, my shoulder has been quite sore recently, so it was good to see her, even if I did get rather beaten up. Still a bit achy now, but hoping that this has helped my recovery along.
[Happy] Just another Wednesday
1) A conversation about meditation and how it should be encouraged.
2) Making a work comrade laugh, with H’s answer to his question “what do you call a man who keeps hawks or falcons?”.. “Steve!”
3) Getting down to Herne Hill velodrome for a training session..
[Happy] 100th post
1) This is my 100th post on this WordPress site. So pleased with that, it has taken me a while to get into the habit of blogging again. At some point I will have to research how I could import the posts that I made on my old blog.
2) Today has been a day of cake and treats in the office. I like cake.
3) Catching the train home, not having to wait long for the train, but mostly not having to worry that I might drown as I cycled home.. (it is tipping it down at the moment..) It was also late and I was knackered so it was a sensible move for several reasons..
[Happy] Back in the office..
After a few days away I am back in the office and looking at the pile of things that has accumulated while I have been away.. it is disappointing sometimes when you realize that your holiday relaxation only lasts for a few minutes under the harsh florescent lights of the office.
Still even against that backdrop and what has been a damp day there are still things to be happy about.
1) Discovering that I hadn’t put on too much weight while away. Which is good as I ate well, and there was lots of cheese and cake.
2) Getting some positive feedback at the office, that your status report was clear and useful, even if it was delivering the bad news that the project was in a red state.
3) Finding a website that really gets security, and when you go through the reset my password function, gives you a one click option to generate a long random password. Well done WordPress.com
[Happy] Home again..
So as excellent as my mini break has been it is good to be home. Although returning to the daily routine will be a bit of a jolt..
So what has made me happy over the last couple of days..
1) Being the first time that several people have ever encountered a chap in a kilt.. I’ve learned that kilt wearing is really very rare in Lille.. Which has surprised me. And got me giggled at by several groups of young people, we will gloss over that.
2) Attending the wedding of G and V, who had a delightful celebration, even if I really didn’t understand many (read any) of the actual words the emotional was multi linguistic.. I’m flattered to have been invited. They will make a great couple, and are clearly delighted (and possibly relieved) that each other answered qui at the appropriate times..
3) Watching H dance.. I tried to join in, but I have both halfs of the self conscious gene, so couldn’t participate for very long..
4) Some really great food..
5) Getting back in my own bed, with rectangular pillows that you don’t fall off. (Square pillows, that shouldn’t be a thing, that is a cushion and well given that I’m a bloke you should already know what I think about them..)
6) A conversation with H, about the winner of van of the year.. and the brief moment after she had read that sticker were she thought that it had been won by that particular van, and therefore how lucky we were to see it, and not by the generic make / model.
[Happy] Another day in Lille..
Had a very nice relaxing day walking around Lille, mostly not heading exactly where we thought we were going (in one case completely the wrong direction), but that has also been interesting.
So I have wandered, something that I am generally bad at. I have real problems if I am heading somewhere not to use the optimal route.
But I have been looking in shop windows, at architecture and generally getting the feel of the place.
I have to admit that I am quite liking Lille, it has a relaxing vibe, and many cobblestone streets.
Today I visited the zoo, which is quite tiny, but still excellent, wandered around parts of the citadel fortifications, which is a great place to escape from the city and go for a run. Been slightly lost a few times, and in completely the wrong place once.
I also had crêpes for lunch, including one with cream and ice cream, so that has helped make me a contented Darkpoint.
Dinner was down by the cathedral watching the skateboarders practice their tricks, on one of the few un-cobbled areas of town.
All of which is making me think that I would be happy to visit again, although I might spend longer sat enjoying the cafe lifestyle watching the world go by rather than walking around..
It seems a popular place to cycle, (even with the cobblestones) so it would be fun to hire a bike and explore that way.
