Wonderful Wednesday 48

21 February 2018


Sometimes these little introductions just roll off my fingertips really quickly and other days, it's a little more of a struggle. Today's is because I'm bursting to share some exciting news so perhaps I should just skip straight to it, right?!


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♥ Our first house... The very exciting thing that I've been keeping to myself for a little while now is that my mister and I will soon be moving into a little house of our very own. I didn't want to jinx it until we'd exchanged and that happy day took place last week! We're not moving until the end of March but now that we have the date confirmed and in the diary (fingers crossed nothing goes wrong in the meantime!) the planning can truly begin. And by planning, I mean I've started writing the mother of all lists and I'm so excited about it! On that note, if you're looking for organisation-inspiration generally, check out Lynsey's fantastic post on how she stays organised. I'm speaking as someone who loves organising and it's the stuff that dreams are made of!

♥ Country Living magazine... Following on from the above, I picked up a copy of this magazine at the weekend for some home inspiration. 'How to create the modern country look' is exactly what I'm going for in terms of home decor. Before I started reading the magazine though, my attention was caught by a little plant booklet that fell out and I spent a happy few hours browsing for plants for our new garden. We have a garden in our current flat but we just didn't have the inclination to do anything with it because it's not ours and we knew that we wouldn't be staying here for longer than a few years. With a place of our own, I want to start with a little herb garden (perhaps in pots to begin with?) before deciding what else to plant where. I'm also on the lookout for bird feeders so I can sit and look out at the birds as I eat my breakfast in the morning. I'll be cutting my commute right down so hoping that I won't have to start the day in my usual whirlwind of frantic activity. 

♥ Instagram takeover... Proud wife claxon! My husband has been chosen to do a week's takeover of Telegram Gallery's Instagram feed. Pop over and take a look - link here.

♥ Shetland... It's back! I absolutely adore this crime drama and my husband and I marathoned our way through the first three series fairly swiftly last year. Series four has just started and I'm going to have to wait for each new episode to arrive on IPlayer, which is tough, but I love it and I'm already enthralled (and every time I watch it I want to visit Shetland oh so much - despite the seemingly terrifyingly high murder rate for such a small island!)

♥ A fresh bunch of tulips... They've been popping up all over my Instagram feed for a few weeks now and I picked up a gorgeous multi-coloured bunch for my parents last weekend. On Saturday, while I was cleaning the house (accompanied by the Greatest Showman soundtrack!), my husband popped out and came back with the gorgeous bunch at the top of this post and they've been cheering up our kitchen ever since. I could quite happily have bunches all over the house!

♥ Domestic Sluttery... Have you heard of this site before? It used to be a blog, which I loved so much - a collection of interesting articles, links to things to do/see, wonderfully inspiring people and a round-up of not-to-be-missed treats from sales around the internet. It stopped a wee while ago but returned (last year I think?) as a daily newsletter and I look forward to it everyday. You can sign up via their site here. Monday's newsletters are always about a wonderfully inspiring woman, with last week's being Emily Dickinson - someone who I've heard mentioned a lot but knew shamefully little about. They included excerpts of some of her poetry and one really stuck with me (that's the second time that's happened this year, harking back to this post. Perhaps 2018 is the year I discover poetry?!) so I thought I'd share it here so you can all revel in its gorgeousness. Happy Wednesday, my loves!


"Hope" is the thing with feathers 
(Emily Dickinson)

"Hope" is the thing with feathers - 
That perches in the soul - 
And sings the tune without the words - 
And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - 
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm - 

I've heard it in the chillest land - 
And on the strangest Sea - 
Yet - never - in Extremity, 
It asked a crumb - of me.


♥ Do let me know what's made your week a little rosier by leaving me a comment below or dropping me a tweet (I'm @happygoluckycat) or better yet, why not join the fabulous bunch of #WonderfulWednesday bloggers? Pop over to their blogs for a dose of mid-week happiness - SallyMichelleHelenKateJoSamKerri, LauraSarahPetaElLauraMimmiMartinaLynseyKatie and Em (I think that's everyone - shout at me if you're not on the list!) - and then join me in counting down the days until the weekend. It's in sight! 

Wonderful Wednesday 47

7 February 2018

Image found here - with the option to grab this cute image for your phone!

Hello and happy February to you! The sun is shining as I type this introduction on Sunday, which bodes well, although it's freeezing cold. Don't get me wrong, I will take the cold and crisp day over the slightly warmer but damp (hello humidity!) day. The sunshine and the slightly lighter evenings and mornings fill me with all the happy feelings that spring is well and truly on its way.


As mentioned in my last Wonderful Wednesday, I had two dear friends visiting last week and we went to Brighton for a short trip during this period. I'm planing to do a separate catch-up post on that when I get a moment so it won't feature in this week's Wonderful Wednesday round-up although it was very much one of the most wonderful things from the last week. There are plenty of other splendid things to mention though so without further ado...


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♥ Taking a week off in January... I don't think I've ever taken a week off in January before - usually I feel that Christmas wasn't too long ago and I need to power on through until Spring at the very earliest before using too much of my precious annual leave but having friends visiting at this time of year was a bit of a revelation. I didn't realise quite how much the post-Christmas darkness and cold had already taken their toll and this break was a much-needed boost.

♥ 
Old friends... Following on neatly from the above, isn't there something particularly special about old friends? Friends with whom you don't need to explain yourself or fill the little silences because they've known you for so long that it's just not necessary. I feel so lucky to have these kinds of friendships in my life.


♥ Blossom... I spotted the blossom in the photo below as I was walking through my local park to the station at the weekend. It was bitterly cold, despite the sunshine and glorious blue sky, but I glanced up and saw the pretty pink blossoms dancing in the breeze. These little buds, together with the snowdrops, first signs of budding daffodils and crocuses beneath the trees made my heart soar - we don't have too much left of this dark side of winter!



♥ Pinterest... I fell out of love with Pinterest for a little while but I'd forgotten how useful it is as a tool if you're planning something and looking for creative inspiration, as well as then falling into a rabbit hole of distraction. I'm busily pinning to a top secret board at the moment but that doesn't stop me from stumbling across all manner of other lovely images to pin at the same time. Are you on Pinterest too? Do let me know and you can find me here.

♥ The Greatest Showman... Slightly late to the party here but we went to watch this at the cinema last week (after having fish and chips for dinner - what a great day!) and it was so so wonderful and just full of sheer JOY. I'm listening to the soundtrack on Spotify as I finish typing this post ('This Is Me' on repeat, if you're interested) and I think I'm going to have to treat myself to the album at some point in the future because Spotify's ad breaks really pop up at the worst possible moments!

♥ Stationery... I'm sure I've mentioned this on a previous Wonderful Wednesday (if not several) but it's getting a special mention again this week because one of my friends brought me a selection of treats from Japan and I'm so happy about it! I will bore on about Japan at length to anyone who asks, honestly you should all be adding it to your must-visit lists immediately if it's not already close to the top. The food, the culture, the history - there are so many reasons to love the country but included on my list of favourite things about the country is the amazing stationery. Honestly, if you love a planner as much as I do and can't leave a stationery store without adding to your collection of notebooks, the stationery options in Japan are to die for. One thing I am guilty of, unfortunately, is just not using my stationery collection so I'm determined to do so this time - I have stickers, post-its and washi tape aplenty - it's time to get creative!




♥ Do let me know what's made your week a little rosier by leaving me a comment below or dropping me a tweet (I'm @happygoluckycat) or better yet, why not join the fabulous bunch of #WonderfulWednesday bloggers? Pop over to their blogs for a dose of mid-week happiness - SallyMichelleHelenKateJoSamKerri, LauraSarahPetaElLauraMimmiMartinaLynseyKatie and Em (I think that's everyone - shout at me if you're not on the list!) - and then join me in counting down the days until the weekend. It's in sight! 

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