“I believe the nicest and sweetest days
are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens
but just those that bring simple little pleasures,
following one another softly,
like pearls slipping off a string.”
L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

It’s a sumptuous Autumn afternoon, animals tucked in for the night, the Andrews Sisters crooning “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” in the background, a cup of peppermint tea cooling beside me.

It’s been a week for quiet, simple pleasures, just little things that make us smile and relax as we work through stressful situations and the upheavals that tend to come along when you least expect them.

Things like sitting in the long cool grass of the back paddock after my hike watching two of our dogs – Luna and Apollo – run around like lunatics as the goats ignore them completely. I love these dogs. Love how they chase each other like mad then pounce in my lap huffing and puffing and covering me with affectionate licks, making me laugh as I try in vain to push them away.

watching dogs runWe got to go to a Rock Swap with dear friends this weekend and had a marvelous time. We found all sorts of treasures: stone arrow heads, glistening crystals, smoothly polished stones, and this wonderful amethyst geode.

amethyst geodeI especially liked the slices of rock that reveal the most amazing patterns and colors. Click here to read more about our little rock hunting adventure.

slice of green stoneOn Monday we had to go to Brisbane for a meeting so we made a day of it, stopping at my beloved Brisbane Botanical Gardens for an early morning ramble before heading to a fantastic Chinese restaurant for an early celebration of Bear’s birthday with big platters of succulent soft shell crab and ginger garlic mud crab.

tropical fuchsia bloomWe’ve been keeping breakfast simple too: toasted bread rolls spread with Dijon mustard (for me) and tomato sauce (for him) and layered with a buttery fried egg. Mmm, so good and comforting alongside a big cup of cinnamon maple espresso laced with hot milk and topped with foam.

egg breakfast bread rollWhat simple pleasures are making your days special this week?