Over 45’s - what are your simple pleasures?

[Sk8tergirl]

Following on from the thread earlier this week on Over 50’s and what have you grown bored with (which was fabulous), thought I’d start this thread on simple pleasures (for over 45’s as I’m not yet 50).

For me:

Reading;
Cup of tea with a slice of homemade cake;
Long walk;
A freshly brewed coffee from the cafetière;
Clean sheets;
Favourite tv shows with a nice box of chocolates

Hit me with yours

I’m 38 and have enjoyed all these things for many years. Am I old before my time?!

A quiet cup of tea before anyone else gets up
A cold glass of wine in the sun
Finishing a good book that leaves me thinking
A hot shower when I'm tired
Kitchen disco

Hearing the birds

Anything that protects my peace and gives me that lovely calm feeling.

so all of the above suggestions but also being in my garden, planting and nurturing my roses, sowing seeds and seeing them bloom. Sitting in my lovely comfy garden chair with a blanket, tea/wine a good book and admiring my surroundings… bliss.

Hiking and cycling by myself
Laying on my bed in the afternoon after work just MN or playing games on my phone for an hour.
Searching out new bands to like.

Sleeping

Feeding (and hearing) the birds, especially the cheeky robins.
The first mug of good coffee in bed in the morning.
Re-reading beloved books (currently working my way through the Discworld series and also The Buddha of Suburbia).
Clean sheets, freshly washed hair and clean pyjamas.

Oh yes, and watching my seedlings come up 🌱

Outdoor swimming. I have always loved swimming and water but have found a lovely place to go which makes me feel relaxed and serene and even when busy there is loads of space and room.

walking in trees/nature with a cup of tea at the end.

tea in bed made by dh who makes a lovely cup.

rediscovered my love of reading. Have always been a book worm but young kids/busy job saw it go to the back of the queue. As kids grew work got stressier so it was much easier to doom scroll as my brain way tired. My brain is still tired but I have reminded myself that reading something absorbing is infinitely more rewarding.

Reading in bed at the end of the day.

Gigs and festivals
Travel, even if not very far
Walking to see what's around the next corner, and the next, and the one after that
A good book, actually lots of good books
Decent coffee and tea
Watching the garden grow
Landscape, cityscapes and architecture

Pottering in the garden, I can't tear myself away from it sometimes!
Comfortable shoes
Cardigans
A cup of coffee and a spliff
Watching the swifts from my garden - they nest in the church tower opposite me
Walking in the countryside
Music
Coca cola original

I'm rather enjoying middle-age, there was so much angst as a youngster.

Hot bath before bed, when it’s cold.

Same! 🤣

Weirdly, I love pegging washing out on the line. Also sneaking into the garden when I’m meant to be working, just to see if there are any new blooms and pulling the odd weed.

Ahhh I love these threads so that - reading other people's greatest pleasures because they inspire me.

As for mine:
Reading
Walks in nature
A latte to go from Mcdonalds or KFC
Cuddling my dog
Watching films and programmes on my planner and freeing up space
The end of the day when everything's washed up and I can sit down at last

BBC Sounds App
Libby App
Borrow box app
Wordle
Charity shopping
Getting the washing on the line and drying it outside
Chelsea garden show
Gardeners World
Visiting my Mum's elderly friends
Going to afternoon tea
Putting flowers on my relatives graves at Christmas Easter and their birthdays Anniversary
Watching BBC drama like Little Dorrit and Pride and Prejudice
Getting up and getting bathed and dressed for the day
Having 40 winks
Lovely perfumes
Flowers
The whistling wind
The torrential rain
Snow
The Olympics
Sport on TV Wimbledon, The Boat Race etc
Cooking shows
Gardens to visit
Music
Talking
Chilling
GBBO
Race across the world
Reality shows like The Sewing Bee
And so much more 😁

Growing roses and other flowers that smell lovely. Then sitting in the garden with a drink breathing deeply. Bliss 😊

I was born to be middle aged! I love all of these things. Just enjoy being.

Going to cities and towns I haven't been to before.
An empty house (bonus if overnight).
Sleeping through the night without being woken up by snoring DH.
Listening to my favourite songs with decent earbuds.
Chilling on my hammock in the garden.
Long train journeys somewhere interesting (with a cheeky upgrade to 1st class)

All yours, OP!

And...

The seasons in the UK - especially spring.
Country walks
Singing in my choirs
Making a pretentious afternoon tea (tiny sandwiches, scones, small fancy cakes) to enjoy with my old mum-friends in the garden each summer. It's an in--joke that I try to become more poncey with each passing year!
Visiting anything Arts and Crafts - Kelmscott Manor etc etc
Gardens
I rise very early so I like to get on the PC and do all kinds of admin before anyone else gets up.
Buying lovely, quality clothes in luxury fabrics which will last me decades, or stuff from charity shops.
Painting.
Birds - especially waterfowl.
Writing a blog on my interests

A good night's sleep. At consistent times.

Having both adult DD's home for the weekend with their partners and all being together. I love to sit back and watch my girls interact with one another and love that they are close. It gives me an immense amount of pleasure.

That first cup of coffee in the morning, curled up on the sofa with my dogs, before anyone else is up.

That first glass of wine on a 'wind down' Friday evening.

Walking on the beach with my DH and my dogs

My weekly lunch meet up in my local village coffee shop with my friends.

My fridge fully stocked after my supermarket delivery has arrived.

Sitting in my garden on a sunny day and feeling the warmth of the sun on my face.

Curling up in front of my blazing woodburner on a cold winters evening.

Watching Football or F1 on TV with my DH.

A cup of tea in the garden in the morning listening to the birds sing. This seems to be a common theme!

Pottering in the garden, particularly a morning or evening perambulation to check on everyone’s progress.

Picking herbs for cooking

Oil painting

Making jasmine or rose petal tea in my poncy Japanese cast iron tea pot and drinking from teeny cups

Watching F1 and PAOTY and LAOTY on Sky Arts

I only wish I had a dog but we travel too much and DH is dead against for lots of rational reasons.

People watching.

My morning coffee.

Opening the windows after a night storm and the cool fresh air flooding in especially if I've remembered to take my antihistamine.

A good nap.

Movement. I like to be on things that move, the train, the ferry, even the car if the roads aren't pothole city.

The endorphins after a hard workout.

The owl that comes and hoots at me. I think he's telling me the nightly news.