A Conversation for Ask h2g2

Simple Pleasures

Post 1

winnoch2 - Impostair Syndromair Extraordinaire

Ah, the simple pleasure of writing with a well-sharpened pencil smiley - magic Like so many people I mainly type, rarely writing anything nowadays, so on the odd occasion when I put pencil to paper it just feels satisfying for so many reasons, from the sound, to the look of the resulting scroll. Of course writing with a blunt pencil is the exact opposite smiley - yuk

What other simple pleasures innexplicably give your day a few seconds of joy?


Simple Pleasures

Post 2

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Doing the crossword puzzles and reading the comics in the morning paper. Sipping the coffee blend that has taken me years to perfect. Smelling the petunias in the planter that hangs from my porch railing. Checking the cucumbers to see if they're big enough to pick.

If a day is going to turn out awful, there's not much I can do to prevent it, but at least I manage to get it off to a good start. smiley - ok


Simple Pleasures

Post 3

Bluebottle

Using a fountain pen. I hate biros and finally managed to get fountain pens stocked in the stationary cupboards at work - there's nothing as enjoyable as signing a name with a flourish of a fountain pen.

<BB<


Simple Pleasures

Post 4

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Many, many years ago, when I was young [or at least less old than I am now smiley - senior], my fourth grade teacher taught my class how to write with plastic versions of quill pens. I managed to break mine within a very short time. I was a klutz smiley - shrug. One of my doctors uses a fountain pen. I'm, glad they haven't died out completely.


Simple Pleasures

Post 5

Bluebottle

Here's another simple pleasure – going downhill on a bicycle in a traffic-free area. Bliss.

<BB<


Simple Pleasures

Post 6

Rod

You've just triggered me to look out my fountain pen - found it far more easily than I expected.
It's a Cross, bought for me by Dad many a decade ago. He was an accountant so writing was important.

Well do I remember him carefully rubbing the tip on a fine sharpening stone in order to get it just the way he wanted it...


Simple Pleasures

Post 7

Bluebottle

I enjoy being the first one up in the morning and eating my breakfast in quiet and reading something.

<BB<


Simple Pleasures

Post 8

swl

Popping the foil on a jar of coffee.

Making the first footprints on a field of fresh snow.


Simple Pleasures

Post 9

Dr Anthea - ah who needs to learn things... just google it!

the feeling of clean teeth after walking out of the dentist

finishing a good book

freshly baked bread smiley - drool


Simple Pleasures

Post 10

MMF - Keeper of Mustelids, with added P.M.A., is now in a relationship.

I, too, enjoy using a fountain pen. I have around half a dozen. Unfortunately none are expensive. smiley - sadface

Two have red ink in, and I, to the best of my knowledge, have bought up the last of the red cartridges sold by this manufacturer, as they have ceased production. 5 boxes came from France while 8 came from the UK. Only bottled red ink is currently available. But black and blue cartridges are still available.

However when writing normally I can only write in permanent black ink, never blue. I don't know why. Probably from school when we used India ink?

My biggest simple pleasure is ironing. I can happily watch a couple of films and iron for four hours. smiley - cool

But I guess the best is kicking autumn leaves when they've drifted into piles. The gentle shwoosh, shwoosh, shwoosh as theory fly in the air then gently settle. It is the adult equivalent of a child wearing boots and jumping into puddles. Sadly, as I am no longer so mobile, this is a pleasure I've had to forgo.

As is another, since moving to London. Skimming stones. When I lived ion the coast I used to enjoy challenging people to skimming matches, both for distance and number of bounces. The technique is to get a flat, rounded stone, around 3-4" diameter, and get low to the water, with the stone parallel to the water's edge. Draw back the throwing arm and, swinging it forward rapidly, releae the stone with a flick to send it spinning nd lo! Skippity, skip pity, skip pity, skip, plop. There goes the stone, into the distance with ever decreasing leaps.

smiley - angel

smiley - sigh. A bit of a ramble.

But I was asked about my simple pleasures and, being a simple person, I have a number. smiley - laugh

smiley - ok

MMF

smiley - musicalnote


Simple Pleasures

Post 11

winnoch2 - Impostair Syndromair Extraordinaire

When stuff you really don't expect to work, does.

Case in point. Every phone upgrade I've ever done has been something of a long-winded nightmare. Recently I got an HTC phone to replace my flaky as hell Samsung. I switched it on straight from the box, signed into google, and it just set up everything that I had on my old phone with virtually no interventionsmiley - magic.

Just in case you think this is an advert for HTC.. my wife got a different model and her transfer was the usual expected nightmare of unrecognised passwords, corrupted software and incompatibilities smiley - devil


Simple Pleasures

Post 12

swl

On that note, Bluetooth!


Simple Pleasures

Post 13

Bluebottle

Putting on dry socks when you've got soaked through.

The smell of a steam railway.

<BB<


Simple Pleasures

Post 14

winnoch2 - Impostair Syndromair Extraordinaire

Bluetooth, yes! It is a small victory when it works seamlessly. 2 phones ago-a sony Ericsson- all i had to do was leave Bluetooth on, put on my car stereo and it would automatically fetch music from my phone without me touching it. Now, same stereo but this phone i have to choreograph connections to get phone to speak to stereo.


Simple Pleasures

Post 15

Teasswill

Putting on a warm sweater on a chilly evening.


Simple Pleasures

Post 16

bobstafford

Bonfire/wood smoke, cold misty winter mornings in woodland just before the sun clears the mist; smiley - smiley


Simple Pleasures

Post 17

Superfrenchie

Getting into bed when you've just changed the sheets.


Simple Pleasures

Post 18

MMF - Keeper of Mustelids, with added P.M.A., is now in a relationship.

But for me, SF, they have to be freshly ironed, and crisply chilled.

So nice to warm them up.

smiley - magic

MMF

smiley - musicalnote


Simple Pleasures

Post 19

Superfrenchie

Yes, MMF, that goes without saying ! smiley - biggrin


Simple Pleasures

Post 20

MMF - Keeper of Mustelids, with added P.M.A., is now in a relationship.

smiley - cheers

smiley - biggrin

MMF

smiley - musicalnote


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