The last couple of weeks for me have held a few ups and downs. When people use that phrase they are usually thinking more of the ‘downs’ than the ‘ups’, and that is the case for me: self pity often seems to be nipping at my heels lately. It is in this frame of mind that I switched on my laptop yesterday to start to write a ‘Small Things’ post.

I didn’t get very far yesterday, mainly because the final of The Apprentice was on TV! It’s important to me to slow down enough to be grateful, though, and to appreciate the small moments that make up my life, and my Small Things posts help me to do that, so I’m back at my laptop today with new focus.

I’m aware that I always seem to feel the need to explain these posts and have perhaps laboured the ‘gratitude’ point a little too much on this blog – and yet it has become a part of my battle against negativity, discontent, self pity and stress. Time and again I need to remind myself to count and name the Small Things, and that is perhaps why my readers may find themselves getting a sense of deja vu now and again when I put this thought process into words.

So thank you for your patience if you are getting the ‘broken record’ feeling, and here are a few of the last few weeks’ Small Things…

*This restful Youtube playlist – Music for reading – which was a lovely accompaniment to wrapping up Christmas presents at the end of a long day.

*Reading a book by my Great-great Uncle: It’s really interesting to explore the writer roots in my family.

*Recovering from flu. It really knocked me out and it’s so good to feel like acceptable company again!

*Listening to Paolo Nutini’s Caustic Love album on youtube. Every song is great!

*Having our church group around for Christmas dinner: we managed to fit 20 around tables in our kitchen, and everyone brought a part of the dinner so we had turkey and all the trimmings. Secret Santa was fun too 🙂

*Wine and cheese: we don’t normally have much of either in the house so Christmas has given us the perfect opportunity to enjoy both. I’m also loving the abundance of nuts: walnuts with chocolate and cranberries, pistachios, chestnuts… So festive and luxurious.*

*Getting excited about presents and food and seeing family and friends!

*Spotting Barn Owls near our house.

*Feeling the wind and rain on my face as I walked in the field with Jamie.

*The way the hills and fields around our house look different every morning depending on the weather.

*I know I have already mentioned Christmas lights in a previous Small Things post, but can I have them again?!

*Getting to see my nieces and nephews more often now that we live in Devon.

*Walking in the sand dunes as the sun went down one Sunday, and seeing Lundy Island, where we spent our summer holiday, on the horizon.

*Seeing my brother and sister recently.

*Getting a surprise accidental extra package from my orders for the Hand and Heart stall, which meant I got to have these Fair Trade deer ornaments for my house as well as to sell!

*Having got our lounge all cosy and personalised with a gallery wall, candles, books and blankets.

*Getting to relive my childhood when my niece was watching Cinderella. I’m sure I watched it at about her age, and it has stood the test of time!

*[As an aside, please look out for Fair Trade wine when buying over Christmas – most supermarkets now have a choice of more than one Fair Trade wine in each colour, at very reasonable prices (between £6-£10) and some of them are really very good. Nuts and chocolate are also now far more readily available as Fair Trade – even the own brands of some shops are now Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance. We really do need to get Fair Trade into the mass market and into our everyday shopping choices so that we can make a meaningful difference to working people in other countries. It’s not charity – it’s fairness.]

What are your Small Things this week?