My Joyful Things

As a massive fan of Ninja Book Swap when Bex tweeted about Parcels of Joy I knew it was something I really wanted on board with.  Much as I enjoy getting parcels, I prefer sending them.  Choosing things I think people will love, cracking open the stationery supplies and annoying the Post Office coven by expecting them to help me and refusing to let their scowls erase my "I'm going to beat you into submission with my sunny optimism" grin.  What's not to love?

I'm also a huge believer in spreading a little kindness and the great things that can be achieved with little acts.  J.R.R. Tolkien explains it perfectly:

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The things that bring me the most joy are of course people not things.  That said, people come with a side order of stress headaches, or is that just the people I associate with?  So I'm going to focus on the things that bring me joy that could potentially fit through the letterbox and wouldn't object to being stuffed in a box and posted.

I did try and write this in sentences and paragraphs but one of the things that brings me joy is list making.  In the spirt of joy I even broke out the bullet points.

• Purple Its been my favourite since I learnt the word and I am still as determined to make everything purple as I was when I was 3.  My bike, favourite DMs, satchel, purse, best fountain pen, hair, youngest child's buggy and lots of my other favourite things are all purple. 
• Stationery Actually this is probably an addiction, but an addiction which brings me lots and lots of joy. Bring me all the notebooks, washi tape and pens. I won't actually use them I will just hoard them and go look at the hoard and feel happy and content.  Then maybe a little guilty that I haven't used anything, but that passes quickly.
• Toadstools no idea where this mild obsession comes from.  I have quite the collection spread around the house, from salt and pepper shakers to fridge magnets. Need them all.
• Salt and Pepper Shakers Love me a bit of kitchen kitch.  One of the all time best things g has ever bought me is the Cookie Monster and cookie jar set - he will probably never understand me but g knows how to make me smile.
• Wonder Woman my heroine.  When I grow up I want to be Wonder Woman, the only thing holding me back is my inability to grow up.
• Sunflowers My wedding flowers.  I never fail to smile at their sunny yellow amazingness.
• Fairy Tales Adore Red Riding Hood in all her guises.  But also like the weird and wonderful and because I'm a patriotic wee soul traditional Scottish tales of Selkies, Kelpies and the like.
• Rainbows This list does nothing but demonstrate that I am basically an overgrown toddler and of course rainbows and all their pretty colours appeal.  The fact that they also go hand in hand with puddle jumping may be something to do with the attraction.
• Knee High Socks A completely practical new obsession.  After knackering my ankle I can't really do ankle socks.  Unfortunately, I have a calf girth that only an East German shot put champion would envy and it is a struggle finding any that fit.  Also where are all the pretty knee high socks? I can only find boring and plain ones.  I like my socks with a side order of mental and enough colours to counter the fact that every other stitch of my clothing is black.
• Coffee I'm not sure I can put it into words.  Without coffee the world is a bleaker place for me and also for everyone who has the misfortune to come near a decaffeinated me!
• Capybaras They just make me happy in a way that I really don't want to understand.  I do love them I do!

I could go on.  I haven't mentioned stars, zombies, celtic mythology, maltesers or acrylic jewellery. This might be why the Post Office coven can't dull my sparkle, there really is quite a lot of joy to be found.

We're all gonna die!!!

As soon as I read that today's #BEDM was about sci-fi I knew it was the perfect opportunity to get all up in your face about the apocalypse. My all time favourite genre has to be 'the world as we know it has ended /is ending'

Some of my favourites are here. A slightly longer list than I had anticipated. I know that lots of the titles have been turned into films and I'm trusting I don't need to get all evangelical about how much more amazing the book always is...

What works for me is that all my problems seem rather daft when I'm immersed in a world with more zombies that people or where there are only a handful of survivors after a super flu pandemic. Whether to paint the living room daffodil white or white birch isn't quite as pressing as fight or flight and while my bank manager might disagree, my overdraft is not quite as blood curdling as a plague of vampires created by the US Army banging at my door.

So if the world as we know it is about to end then despite my penchant for ridiculously high heels and perfecting my eyeliner flicks I'm your go to gal. I know that in our shed the crowbar is my go to zombie killing tool. I also know where it is and where the smaller crow bar is so that I can arm smudge. Although the thought of arming my 8 year old is actually more terrifying than the undead.

I am constantly aware that there is never enough food to keep us for long here but we can bike to my mother-in-laws. Bikes are good, they are quiet so as not to wake the zombies and don't need petrol which just won't be easy to get when the end of days comes. My mother-in-law's because that woman obviously knows something we don't and has been hoarding for years. The other distinct advantage of her house is it's proximity to an M&S food hall which will be ripe for looting. Just because it's the apocalypse doesn't mean I'm going to want to give up Percy Pigs!