(Originally it was ten things which enrich my life but that seemed like too grand a title for this motley collection of material items).
1. Jersey wrap dresses
I think I discovered my love for the jersey wrap dress the year I got married, and my addiction has grown steadily ever since, mainly fed by ebay and Boden.
This collection is missing two - the one I am actually wearing, and one more which really I should part with. The one on the right is a bit of a cheat, too, since it's not actually a wrap dress, but I like it a lot and wanted it to be in the picture.
I think my favourite is the blue spotty one....that was also the most expensive, and most recently purchased. The second in from the right was the dress I wore all honeymoon and, even though it's too short for me since I gained some weight, I can't bring myself to part with it. The brown one second from the left I have never worn, since it was an ebay bargain and a bit too clingy when I first bought it - but I have just put together a lovely outfit for tomorrow with it, so it will debut.
I figure it doesn't matter that I own so many dresses, as long as I actually wear them. I am thinking of going for an all dress/skirt wardrobe in the future.
2. Fresh flowers
I think this has crept up on me as I've got older. I never thought I was an especially floral person, but since I started filling my vases from the florist opposite our Sunday brunch spot, I think I might be. This week's offerings are particularly nice, since I splashed a bit more cash to celebrate getting paid.
The top pictures are pink tulips and little purple lilies from the florist, and the bottom picture are Queen of the Night tulips and lilac, both from the front garden. I am amazed at those tulips - I planted 5 bubls a couple of years ago and one came up, I was gutted. Now there are about ten, and they last for almost a month. Perhaps I am not so brown-fingered after all.
3. My mobile phone
Of course it's good for keeping in touch with people, but I really like that I can get online with it, and it's so handy for taking pictures of things. Like, last week, I was held up because some chavs were fighting in the street so I took a picture of them, and it's a good resolution, in case the police were to need it. It made me feel better, at least.
4. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
I can only think of two other albums that have had such a potent effect on me - Coldplay's Parachutes and Keane's first album which I can't remember the name of. I haven't been able to stop listening to it since I got it. There isn't a single song I am apathetic towards. I think every one is like a dance.
5. iGoogle
Helps me waste hours of time. I like being able to keep track of all my favourite blogs and the headlines, and access YouTube without actually accessing it. It's very handy for looking at filtered sites at work without going through the unfiltered proxy - and, as the kids have discovered, you look like you're just searching for something when it shows up on the task bar.
6. Dorothy Dunnett
Her historical fiction books have kept me enthralled for almost two years now - they're so richly detailed and the story is so good. I sort of begrudge times like now, when I am mired in coursework marking and only have about five minutes of reading time a day, which is not enough to pick up the current Dunnett. I am pleased that it takes me quite a while to read each one, and excited that I am only part way through one collection, because that means the books will continue to amuse me for years to come.
7. Holidays
I love holidays! Everything from just a night away to the big three week full monty in the summer. Next holiday will be in half term, when I am going to the grim north to see Sian and meet Jen's new baby; then there's a weekend in Brighton for Beccy's wedding (seafront hotel!) and then it will only be 6 weeks until the summer holidays and we'll be off to America. My compensation payment for the accident I had in October is due imminently and will be covering most of the cost of the tickets.
Then there should also be Malaysia in the autumn - not exactly a holiday but how much work can 16 lovely teenagers make? hur hur - though I am holding fire on getting too excited about that one (I am already very excited but am trying to hold a bit back), since the head hasn't squared it with the rest of SLT yet, and I am by no means certain that they will permit me a week off during term time, even though it's a school thing. With my paranoid head on, I fear he will not fight my corner very hard so that he can go in my place.
8. Knitting
No big surprise there. I like knitting for all sorts of reasons - it involves colour; it's very tactile; it provides useful things; it can involve books and magazines; there's an excellent website associated with it which can drain as much time as I want it to, not to mention millions of blogs; it's very portable; it's sociable; and it makes me feel a bit clever when I finish something and it comes out looking great. Hurrah for knitting!
9. Pretty stationery
I love stationery. I think it's a bit of a pre-requisite of being a teacher. I love the time of year when the new budgets come through, and Ian brings me the stationery catalogue and a blank order form and tells me to order what I want for the year. That day is up there with Christmas for me. I especially like unusually shaped post it notes, spiral bound notebooks with bright covers, and fineliner pens in unusual colours. And Sharpies - I love them, although they are not good for writing on actual paper because they go straight through.
I currently have three pretty spiral notebooks on my desk. One is currently in use, as my AS notes book, but the other two are really just there to look pretty. They look very pretty.
I love stickers too. I don't care that I mainly teach 14-18 year olds - they are getting stickers. I think some of them might be even more excited about the stickers than me, though.
10. Looking at old photographs
Particularly my wedding pictures. I can spend hours looking at my old pictures, particularly now a lot of them are on Facebook or in my Flickr.
Here's my favourite wedding picture, to round off. Makes me giddy with joy every time I see it.
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