A Conversation for Ask h2g2
Simple Pleasures
winnoch2 - Impostair Syndromair Extraordinaire Started conversation Sep 3, 2014
Ah, the simple pleasure of writing with a well-sharpened pencil 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
What other simple pleasures innexplicably give your day a few seconds of joy?
Simple Pleasures
paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant Posted Sep 3, 2014
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.
Simple Pleasures
Bluebottle Posted Sep 3, 2014
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.
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Simple Pleasures
paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant Posted Sep 3, 2014
Many, many years ago, when I was young [or at least less old than I am now ], 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 . One of my doctors uses a fountain pen. I'm, glad they haven't died out completely.
Simple Pleasures
Bluebottle Posted Sep 3, 2014
Here's another simple pleasure – going downhill on a bicycle in a traffic-free area. Bliss.
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Simple Pleasures
Rod Posted Sep 3, 2014
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
Bluebottle Posted Sep 5, 2014
I enjoy being the first one up in the morning and eating my breakfast in quiet and reading something.
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Simple Pleasures
swl Posted Sep 5, 2014
Popping the foil on a jar of coffee.
Making the first footprints on a field of fresh snow.
Simple Pleasures
Dr Anthea - ah who needs to learn things... just google it! Posted Sep 5, 2014
the feeling of clean teeth after walking out of the dentist
finishing a good book
freshly baked bread
Simple Pleasures
MMF - Keeper of Mustelids, with added P.M.A., is now in a relationship. Posted Sep 5, 2014
I, too, enjoy using a fountain pen. I have around half a dozen. Unfortunately none are expensive.
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.
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.
. A bit of a ramble.
But I was asked about my simple pleasures and, being a simple person, I have a number.
MMF
Simple Pleasures
winnoch2 - Impostair Syndromair Extraordinaire Posted Sep 5, 2014
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 intervention.
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
Simple Pleasures
Bluebottle Posted Sep 5, 2014
Putting on dry socks when you've got soaked through.
The smell of a steam railway.
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Simple Pleasures
winnoch2 - Impostair Syndromair Extraordinaire Posted Sep 5, 2014
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
Superfrenchie Posted Sep 5, 2014
Getting into bed when you've just changed the sheets.
Simple Pleasures
MMF - Keeper of Mustelids, with added P.M.A., is now in a relationship. Posted Sep 5, 2014
Simple Pleasures
MMF - Keeper of Mustelids, with added P.M.A., is now in a relationship. Posted Sep 5, 2014
Key: Complain about this post
Simple Pleasures
- 1: winnoch2 - Impostair Syndromair Extraordinaire (Sep 3, 2014)
- 2: paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant (Sep 3, 2014)
- 3: Bluebottle (Sep 3, 2014)
- 4: paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant (Sep 3, 2014)
- 5: Bluebottle (Sep 3, 2014)
- 6: Rod (Sep 3, 2014)
- 7: Bluebottle (Sep 5, 2014)
- 8: swl (Sep 5, 2014)
- 9: Dr Anthea - ah who needs to learn things... just google it! (Sep 5, 2014)
- 10: MMF - Keeper of Mustelids, with added P.M.A., is now in a relationship. (Sep 5, 2014)
- 11: winnoch2 - Impostair Syndromair Extraordinaire (Sep 5, 2014)
- 12: swl (Sep 5, 2014)
- 13: Bluebottle (Sep 5, 2014)
- 14: winnoch2 - Impostair Syndromair Extraordinaire (Sep 5, 2014)
- 15: Teasswill (Sep 5, 2014)
- 16: bobstafford (Sep 5, 2014)
- 17: Superfrenchie (Sep 5, 2014)
- 18: MMF - Keeper of Mustelids, with added P.M.A., is now in a relationship. (Sep 5, 2014)
- 19: Superfrenchie (Sep 5, 2014)
- 20: MMF - Keeper of Mustelids, with added P.M.A., is now in a relationship. (Sep 5, 2014)
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