Wonderful Wednesday #61

Hullo and how do you doodle-DO dear ones?!  I nearly forgot this little post again.  I know i know *covers eyes* but if i'm honest, Monday and Tuesday have not felt like either of those things this week. In fact i feel all kinds of discombobulation!  I blame Easter.  Well except i don't so much as blame it as that makes me sound mad at Easter when in fact; it gave me a day off {Easter Sunday} and an excuse {as if we all needed one} to eat chocolate when maybe we wouldn't have usually.  Did i TELL you the story of how i thought i was big and clever and decided i didn't want any Easter eggs this year?!  Until i woke up on Easter Sunday and got quite sad about it.  I compensated with Ferrero Rocher chocolates and an endless supply of Lady Grey and a lovely adventure with the Mr in the sun around and about castles and pretty hidden gardens filled with fish ponds, frogs and ducks.  But more about that later on in the week.  It's actually where i took ^THAT^ little photo above.  It was taken at Lowther Castle just outside Penrith.

But let us STOP talking about last week and focus on this one which, has been a funny old one.  It's been a week of wishing i had long hair:  Lately it has just been sticking out every which way and just generally mis-behaving and looking a like a bit of a birds nest.  It's been a week of dreading getting two fillings at the dentist tomorrow *covers eyes again* and of feeling like i just want Spring to last forever, you know?  It brings out the best in everyone and everything seems so much BETTER.  Even if you've had a long day, just a bit of blue sky and fresh air and whizz bang:  Fixed.  Let's get ON shall we?  Here is what's been making me smile this week so far:

*  Caving in.  Ever since Sundays lovely adventure sans coat or woolly winter hat; it's like i've gone into Spring Summer panic mode!  Every year i tell myself i'll wait for strawberries to be in season.  I'll wait because i just KNOW they'll be sweeter, juicier and more lovely than anything else i've ever tasted.  And then we get a warm day and all that just goes out of the window!  After Sunday i had to buy a little punnet of strawberries.  I've been enjoying them sliced and carefully balanced on top of peanut butter slathered on toasted hazelnut bread;  eaten straight out of the fridge or dipped into natural yoghurt.  I might have also been thinking about how long before it is acceptable to slice them in half and DROP them into ice cold Pimms and ginger beer.  Just thinking though….

*  Listening to DEAR Lana.  Because she's my Spring and Summer jam.  These lighter and brighter days have meant Lana all of the way to work and all of the way back.  I don't know when we became musical Summertime buddies but her music just makes me think of hazy golden hour cycling; Pimms choc-a-block with sliced cucumber, fresh strawberries and torn up mint leaves AND lazy afternoons at home with the skylights wide open.  Isn't it funny how music can give you all of that? I just LOVE it's magical powers.

*  Counting down the days until one of my very best friends is back from the land of Oz for a whole MONTH.  I can't even put into words how very excited i am to see her and spend some time catching up on everything.  I fear our weather might not feel quite so tropical to her…

*  Freshly washed linens.  This one NEVER gets old come rain or shine, Summer or Winter but you can't tell me that sinking into a freshly washed duvet doesn't feel a million times better when your sheets smell of sunshine, outdoors and Spring?  A freshly changed bed is one of my very favourite things; but that rockets up a gazillion percent come this time of year.  Are you WITH me?!?!

*  Rich dark chocolate covered mini rice cakes.  I've never been a fan of rice cakes.  Whenever i have tried them savoury, they just leave me wanting something else half and hour later - no matter how high i pile them with delicious-ness.  This week i picked up a little packet of Metcalfe's dark chocolate covered mini rice and corn cakes just to try and my oh my are they DELICIOUS.  Made with nothing but rice, corn and a rather generous little slick of dark chocolate they are just the perfect amount of sweet, more-ish YUM for those times when you're a little bit hungry but not enough to make toast or fruit and yoghurt.  They are DE-licious!

*  That beautiful SMELL of Spring:  All cut grass, green, fresh clean air with just enough of a coolness to remind you it's not quite summer yet.  The scent of washing wafting in the afternoon breeze and the tickle of cooler morning air from a keen open window and the sweet scent of damp dew on early morning verges.  It's also little bit delicious.

*  Mums.  For knowing EXACTLY what to say in whatever situation whether you are twelve or thirty - like me.  I can't ever imagine imparting that much wisdom to someone.  But i do hope that someone one day looks up to me in the way that i always have and always will look up to my mum.  

*  Cracking out the Spring/Summer hair care!  HUZZAH!  My hair is a riot lately.  I think, that like me too it isn't quite sure what season it is out there quite yet.  We've had damp mornings up here north.  Mornings where you can't HELP but wrap up in your Winter coat and sneak a wool beret and pair of mittens into your satchel.  Lately nine times out of ten these mornings have given way to un-interupted bright blue skies and double digit temperatures and left me and my Winter coat looking a feeling a little silly en route home at 6pm.  But my hair has been feeling confused too, so i decided to plough on through and into my Spring and Summer lighter hair care bits and bobs {read:  Lush, Lush LUSH COSMETICS all of the way.}  I find that my becomes so dry through the colder months, especially if it's wet and windy when i am TOOTLING about on those two wheels of mine.  But come this time of year i can ease up on the moisture, go with more of my natural 'flick-ey' texture and use less product in general.  Spring and Summer hair care is usually a good scrub with Lush 'Big' shampoo for it's salty, volumising magical powers. I always follow this with a quick wash with Lush 'Daddio' a bright violet coloured and sweetly scented shampoo that brightens blondes as well as moisturising too.  Then I slather on as much Lush 'American Cream' as is humanly possible.  Not because i NEED too - it's as ultra moisturising without weighing your mop down as they come - it just smells like HEAVEN:  All vanilla and coconut cream and that special scent last for days afterwards too!!!

*  Early 7am mist and the PERFECT backdrop for my stretches before a big bowl of chocolate and coconut oil porridge and a mug of tea as big as my head.

*  The Mr.  For those times that you steal a glance or two when they're not watching and realise how much you LOVE their face.  

*  That first early morning post-switched off alarm stretch: The one where you simultaneously try and touch the top of the headboard AND the bottom of the bed at the same time and a little bit in the shape of a star.  The only way to start every day for sure.  

*  Keeping green…green?  Or more to the point, keeping a plant ALIVE since…oof it must be at least the start of December last year now!  Who cares if it's a miniature Poinsettia plant that looks the most ridiculous little pot next to jugs and receptacles filled with Daffodils, Hyacinths and Anemones.  She's alive and that's all that matters.  Maybe there is hope for me yet.  
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Now you're up!  It's YOUR turn!  What has been making you smile this week?  Have you also got a favourite Spring or Summer artist or a special playlist?  Do you stretch like a crazy starfish come the early AM's?!  Have you ever tried Lush Haircare and do you change your hair care this time of year too?  I love , love LOVE your comments on these little posts - they are honestly my very favourite things to read.  SO if you've never commented before and have read them for a while, or even of you're a new reader and fancy sharing your #wonderfulwednesday magic; i'm eternally grateful all the same.  

I often start these posts thinking that not much grand or great has happened in the first half of my week and then once i sit and take a moment, i am forever surprised at all the little things when i sit and put my mind to them.  That's a pretty LOVELY feeling!  Remember you can also tweet me your #wonderfulwednesday on Twitter, or tag me in your Instagram snaps with the same hash-tag.  I'm @sallytangle on both.