the_andorransaid lovely stuff about my journal in a post of hers it would be incredibly vain to link to, so I won't. She also demanded I update more, so I obey, but with a meme. And in true sweet_pepper style, it's about two weeks after everybody else has done it.





1. Rich tea biscuits. Dipped in warm milk until they are just about to break. Yeah.



2. Hugging. I just love it. I am the biggest hugger in the world. When me and one of my best friends hadn't seen each other in a few months due to Uni, and saw each other at the train station, we ran up and hugged for about five minutes. THAT kind of hugging. It's good for yeh soul, I'm convinced.



3. Learning new and amazing facts. Like did you know that no one has ever been able to domesticate the African elephant? Only the Indian elephant can be trained by man. Or that every U.S. president with a beard has been a Republican. Or that the dot over the letter 'i' is called a tittle. Or that there is a city called Rome on every continent. Or that to take an oath, ancient Romans put a hand on their testicles...that’s where the word “testimony” comes from. A blue whale's aorta (the main blood vessel) is large enough for a human to crawl through. I bet you didn't. And I bet your life is enriched now you do.



4. Scandal and gossip. I think this is connected to the point above. I like knowledge. Just like I want to know which foot Neil Armstrong stepped out onto the moon with first (his left), I want to know if Bob is going out with Emma, that Nicky and Lisa had a bitch fight in the middle of Oxford Street, that Cass has tried Cocaine and that Tim has come out. I'm not talking about celeb gossip or soap operas or any of that, I'm talking about people I know and care about. There's nothing better than a long e-mail or long girly chat in a cafe over mocha full of the latest news. Some may call it nosy, I call it a healthy interest in my peers. Somebody wise once said gossiping is the worst character trait one can have. Sorry, then, mum and dad.



5. Dark and raining outside, warm dry and low lit inside.



6. Watching old Disney films with an old friend. Aladdin, Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast are the best for this. Lion King too. Snow White is the worst because frankly you just end up wanting to throttle her just to stop her talking in that irritating breathy little-girl voice.



7. A good book. You all understand that.



8. The feeling of accomplishment you get when something is done. It don't have to be a big thing, just tidying your room will do it.



9. Falling asleep in your boyfriend's arms. There is something just so lovely about this. I have a real thing about men's arms, I love them, I love being wrapped in them.



10. A random, unexpected compliment. 'Oh your hair looks nice today' 'that's a nice top' 'you look pretty/happy/nice/gorgeous today'. Spontaneous compliments always feel so sincere. I mean when you have to get all dolled up for a big event, you expect compliments, it's just polite. But when they come out of the blue, they leave me with a happy glowy feeling all day.



Australia has stolen my boyfriend. Woe.