identify 100 things that make me happy.

My completed goal sat there for a week – because I wanted to look at it for a while. It is time to bundle this one, and join the people-who’ve-completed-it club. I enjoyed doing it very much.

List was finished on Christmas Day. What a nice thing to be doing today.

100. seeing a shooting star
99. receiving text messages
98. standing on a look-out, peering out at the view
97. Christmas decorations
96. receiving gifts, given for no reason
95. talking to my pals, whilst I cook
94. the first day of being well, after having had a cold
93. unexpectedly seeing a rainbow
92. growing my fingernails long
91. wrapping presents
90. recycling
89. david bowie
88. the smell of coffee
87. the smell of honeysuckle, jasmine and rose essential oils
85. finishing a good book and just sitting, reflecting, on it
84. having fresh flowers in my flat
83. my first hour alone after lovely visitors have left
82. German motorcycle police
81. being a good cook
80. wearing my studded silver belt
79. running without looking like a girl
78. watching my goldfish swimming about
77. getting to the end of the week and having no vegetables left
76. being mistaken for a gay man
75. lying in my bed and looking at the ceiling
74. seeing photos of boyfriends as children
73. sleeping in clean sheets
72. hearing a knock at the door, but not answering it
71. taking selenium supplements
70. making flirtatious eye contact
69. really deep sleep
68. the number 68
67. starting a new diary
66. being entranced by fireworks
65. finishing the washing up
64. being asked for directions, and getting them wrong!
63. eating with my fingers
62. picking up free weights with authority
61. suddenly remembering a bit of last night’s dream
60. having my hands massaged
59. drying myself after a bath with a scratchy towel
58. having a long chat with a friend
57. eavesdropping
56. assembling flat-pack furniture
55. dealing with perpetually unrequited love
54. writing the address on an envelope
53. giving myself a facial
52. eating grilled salmon and steamed vegetables
51. receiving a firm handshake
50. wearing mascara
49. the effect that eating linseed has
48. yelping with glee at getting my feet wet by the waves rolling in
47. receiving compliments from strangers
46. hearing English spoken with a German accent
45. having my feet rubbed by strong hands
44. walking barefoot on pebbley beaches
43. baking bread
42. reading a book a second time
41. unexpectedly hearing a David Bowie song
40. looking up words I don’t know the meaning of
39. painting my nails with glitter nailpolish
38. looking up a spiral stairwell
37. running my hand over a man’s closely cropped haircut
36. softly kissing
35. feeling the footsteps of others on stone stairs
34. dreaming of getting a tattoo of the lyrics of Heroes
33. swearing
32. eating pfeffernusse by the bagfull
31. throwing a ball against a wall
30. waking up to the sound of birdsong
29. being in a thunderstorm
28. looking at my first painting
27. lying on the beach, listening to the waves
26. going on cycling holidays
25. having Internet access at home
24. watching cats do their thang
23. keeping a vegetable patch
22. waking up to an overnight snowfall
21. BBC Radio Four online
20. watching the flicker of a candle flame
19. feeling the wind in my hair
18. my Luckenbooth ring
17. my wrinkly old hands
16. my handwriting
15. listening to music which makes my neck hairs bristle
14. clicking my lower back
13. stretching and being flexible
12. chocolate-coated things
11. Autumn and Winter sunshine
10. tidying up
9. catching up on sleep
8. getting up early
7. looking at the daily Express Train photo
6. getting a scalp massage
5. making lists
4. drinking herbal tea
3. taking vitamins
2. brushing my teeth
1. walking

This is a very rare treat. The last one I saw was two years ago as I walked home one Winter’s night. I used to see them far more frequently in Australia because I was often in places where there is little light pollution. But whenever I’ve seen them they have been a real treat. I’m sure that they are good luck!

I think that that sums it up. I like it that someone is thinking of me, and sending me a quick message. I also like how quick and cheap they are to send. And so convenient to send – a fabulous way to wile away boring train journeys.

I am a real sucker for a beautiful view. I bought my flat as much for its view as for the flat itself. I love studying the view after you climb the steps, or reach the lookout. I especially like it when the lookout is right on the edge of a click and you hang over the edge into nothing. I’ve not experienced lookouts like this in the UK, however I’ve been to dozens of such lookouts in Australia. It’s a fabulous experience.

I buy a new Christmas ornament every year. I’ve only been doing this since I bought my own flat – so I only have four. But I love browsing through the Christmas decorations section of department stores. And I especially like the Germanic-looking decorations: felt stars, wooden angels, glass snowflakes. Lovely.

Like anyone else I like presents (if they are nice ones, of course!). However I have a collection of gifts that people have given me that weren’t given for a reason like birthday/Christmas/thank-you. These are especially precious to me.

The sorts of for-no-reason gifts that I mean are the little things that someone found/bought – which when they saw it thye thought I might like it. Examples of this are a crystal a boyfriend found in the garden when he was digging a vege patch, a small clump of peat that a friend picked up when they went to Skye, a little wooden doorknob that a boyfriend found in his toolbox – and thought would suit a door in my flat.

I have a breakfast bar – and not a true kitchen with four walls. However this is one of the features of my flat that I really like. I love having folk around, and they can sit in my dining room chatting to me whilst I prepare food. It means that people aren’t cramped in the kitchen, getting under my feet – but can instead relax and look at my fabulous view.

Even if a flu only lasts a few days, it is still fabulous to have my first day when I don’t have a headache/sore throat/hacking cough/running nose. It makes me feel so grateful for good health.

It is the unexpected sighting of rainbows which delights me the most. I suspect that I only see one a year, but when I do it is always a surprise. Occasionally one will be particularly well-defined and the individual colours are really clearly demarcated. On these occasions they do seem truly magical, and I can understand why the phenomenon features in religion and mythology.