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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Over 45’s - what are your simple pleasures?

171 replies

Sk8tergirl · 31/05/2025 12:56

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

OP posts:
Dogstar78 · 01/06/2025 23:28

Walking up a hill to sit in 'Dad's place'.

Helping a friend with a practical problem, e.g. can you check this contract.

Finding something you thought you lost.

When my teenager hugs me- he gives the best hugs.

Spending time with my Mum.

Watching the sprinkler and having a glass of wine. I have to supervise it. I can't be trusted to remeber to turn it off if I take my eyes off it.

When the sky looks pretty.

Waking up early and feeling awake with no meno symptoms.

A clean house bonus points if I am home alone.

Watching a favourite film Ive watches over and over, like sliding doors, with nice chocs and cuddling the dog.

When baking turns out perfecto.

When a meeting finishes early or is cancelled.

Tidying a drawer/ cupboard- then opening it and looking inside.

When a plant unexpectedly blooms/ takes hold. Splitting plants and sharing them with friends.

New pjamas

Getting an unexpected discount on something.

When DDog manages to walk past a fluffy dog without going apeshit. He is a rescue. I have no idea what happened in a past life but we are working on it.

namechangeGOT · 02/06/2025 07:24

PrincessHoneysuckle · 01/06/2025 23:11

Yes! A bit of Snoop or Tupac can't beat it

I have devoted my life to Tupac. He is my all time musical hero! I take my son up to school with all manner of gangsta rap/hip hop blaring out. 8am he’s listening to Scarface’s ‘Hand of the Dead Body’ and 10 minutes later doing double maths! It always makes me smile!

ByBlueMoose · 02/06/2025 07:25

Bath bombs. Scented candles. The merlin bird call app.

Jowak1 · 02/06/2025 07:33

Clean/new bed sheets
cup of tea first thing in morning
my cat on my knee whilst drinking tea
knowing my teenagers are fast asleep in bed and safe ( at night with cuppa)
me and hubby watching a film together
Glass of wine in the sun
seeing my indoor plants grow( in the past I’ve killed them im getting better 🤣)
milky coffee when reading my work emails first thing in morning
a good book

Jowak1 · 02/06/2025 07:38

Oh and I forgot scented candles especially in the kitchen to get rid of all the food smells my teenagers make! They seem to make a million meals a day lol including every pan in the house 🤣🤣

Loveautumnhatewinter · 02/06/2025 07:39

Coffee in bed first thing, and no-one is allowed to speak to me until I have finished the last drop.

Pliudev · 02/06/2025 08:08

Let me see...youngest DS was 2, so I went back to college, did a degree, MA, PhD. Honestly, 45 is far too young to be putting your feet up, eating cake and gardening. I reluctantly do a bit of that now I'm 74 but at 45 there are new horizons to explore.

dandeliondandy · 02/06/2025 08:15

ReturnoftheBink · 31/05/2025 13:09

Hearing the birds

Yes! And the Merlin app is a revelation! I can now identify different species by their song when out walking!

CharlesPetrescu · 02/06/2025 08:22

Great thread OP! Your thread made me think about this and realise there are so many everyday joys including - slow mornings. A dark sky full of stars on a clear night. A good long meditative yoga flow. Baking bread and the smell in the kitchen when it cooks. The light dappling through tree leaves on a sunny woodland walk. A summer walk at dusk. A massage. When my dog gazes into my eyes ❤️

Lolalady · 02/06/2025 08:30

My dogs
A good book to be read when I go to bed
First cup of tea in the morning
singing with my choir
my grandchildren telling me they love me
Watching a really good TV series
my bed when it’s been changed

ElizaJ74 · 02/06/2025 11:11

Cuddles with the pets in bed watching my fave tv shows
Long bubble bath with a good red wine
Walking the dogs at dusk
Fresh flowers
Drives with my daughter singing loudly along with our fave songs
Sitting in the garden in the early morning enjoying a coffee

BookWorm7 · 02/06/2025 12:37

Just gotten back into reading after making a conscious decision to not Netflix all the time.
Waking up and discovering one of my new plants has a new leaf, especially my boston ferns.
Bare feet on grass.
Walking on crunchy grass in the winter.
Waking up in my bright sunny bedroom.
A walk in the woods or in the hills.
Being out in the wild before anyone else is, the air just feels different before becoming polluted with cars and noise.

AmberMae · 02/06/2025 13:12

A freshly clean house with fresh bedding.
Sitting in the kitchen with a cold glass of prosecco in said clean house!
An early morning dip in the sea for sunrise followed by coffee and cake in my local cafe.
That wonderful feeling after exercise when you have a shower, clean PJ’s on and sit on the sofa with a cuppa.
A hot bath with a good book and Neals Yard bubbles.
Mooching around a town centre that has lots of lovely little independent boutiques and homeware shops.
Walking the dog on the beach with the kids on a weekend afternoon and stopping somewhere for ice-cream.
A full fridge and full wine rack!
Taking time to cook a really nice meal on a weekend (rather than churning out mid-week dinners).
Discovering a really good audiobook or podcast to listen to while exercising or cleaning the house.

orian · 02/06/2025 14:03

I love reading that is probably my main hobby and if my local library weren't so good I'd probably be bankrupt from buying books. I love watching movies, especially old movies from the 60's/70's and a lot of foreign cinema. I used to work in film which was cool but not a lifestyle I was temperamentally suited to so I'm much happier now working as an artist, with a studio space attached to my home.

I do still enjoy going to the cinema, out for a meal somewhere interesting, and to a concert or the theatre depending what is on, I'm not in a cultural hot spot to be honest but I do go a few times a year to see the ballet, an opera or a play whatever looks good.

I enjoy music both playing it and listening, I go to gigs sometimes but I live a bit more rurally these days so its not always easy to get back home from the city. I play piano and not having direct neighbours anymore means I can play away to my hearts content!

I've never loved clubbing, parties or pubs that much. I feel I did give that a good try when younger and don't feel I was missing anything. I don't drink and it was just never my scene. Even at 21 I'd preferred being tucked up in bed with a book then partying.

I've never loved shopping but do love second hand book shops so if I have a day in town alone I'd probably see some art, then go to some interesting café for tea and cake (recently had a cake out with miso buttercream which was fab) then I'd mooch around all the second hand book shops and hopefully find some obscure book I didn't know I needed then I'd meet my DH for dinner and a movie.

I'm a real homebody so my home comforts are important and I do enjoy or rather take a bit of pride in keeping my home clean, tidy and organised (don't ask about my studio). I also cook a lot, my DH has some health issues so I try to make as much from scratch as I can to keep his consumption of processed foods as low as I can. I do enjoy cooking and get real satisfaction of sitting down to something delicious that I've made myself from scratch. I'm getting more into breadmaking this year and baking and there is nothing nicer then a slice of homemade cake with a lovely cup of tea or a bowl of homemade soup as the rain batters down outside. I do also love good quality loose leaf tea and nice chocolate, preferably dark with hazelnuts!

As I get older I'm better about self care and enjoy my nice skincare, I do yoga and meditation most days and I exercise doing a mix of cardio and strength training thought out the week. I'd love to do an adults ballet class but there are none near me.

I do like travel but these days we are tending to go abroad every other year for a more expensive holiday so we are planning a trip to Japan for next year and this year we are staying in Scotland, hoping to explore some neolithic sites and do some hillwalking.

Honestly I don't think what I actually enjoy has changed that much since I was younger, I think back then felt like their were things I ought to do, ought to enjoy to some extent, like I felt I ought to do a masters so I did and while it was good to get and I enjoyed my time it wasn't really that important to my career. I thought I ought to do this exciting job I was good at in the film industry even though I was not personally suited to it or that I should go out more, be more sociable when I'd have been happier at home with a book or knitting. To be fair I was always very much my own person and not a follower of the crowd but when you are so young it can be difficult to know what is for you so you try lots of things. I feel like I am more confident in what will and won't work for me now, although you do sometimes still have to challenge and surprise yourself with something out of your comfort zone. I quite fancy directing a play, I did study directing and I have some experience so that could be my next challenge, although it terrifies me a bit!

VelvetUndergrounds · 02/06/2025 14:25

Ryeman · 31/05/2025 14:14

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.

I can relate to all of this!

Mumof681 · 02/06/2025 14:57

VelvetUndergrounds · 02/06/2025 14:25

I can relate to all of this!

Was literally about to say pegging washing out on the line on a nice sunny day- win for me! 😁

VelvetUndergrounds · 02/06/2025 15:01

Mumof681 · 02/06/2025 14:57

Was literally about to say pegging washing out on the line on a nice sunny day- win for me! 😁

Just hung some more out! I have been known to send my friend a photo of my washing blowing on the line 🤦‍♀️

Cherryicecreamx · 02/06/2025 22:10

Ooh I've loved all these things since I was a teen 😅
I'm a bit young for the asked age of this thread but can't beat a decent brew!

Sk8tergirl · 03/06/2025 17:00

Onionbhajisandwich · 01/06/2025 21:50

Having a cuddle and a chat with my cat when nobody else is home.
A hot chocolate in the morning.
When the clocks go back in the autumn and the nights are dark and cosy.
Fresh bedding.
Friday nights.

Friday nights are the best - a glass of red, good food and have I got news for you

OP posts:
Roxy69 · 04/06/2025 17:30

Taking the dog for a walk with my friend and her 2 dogs. Then we have chips and a tea in the little cafe nearby.
Wood burning stove, footstool hot chocolate and my latest book.
Most of life is bliss now that I've retired to be honest. I might be too old for this thread but I don't feel it or care really.

Itsarecipefordisaster · 05/06/2025 08:59

@Cordroy I could do with some tips now I’ve reached menopause!

Running in the countryside, I run easy and stop to look at deer, curlews flying over, lapwing chicks etc etc. It’s my happy place

First coffee of the day made with my stove top pot and with cream

Camping with my DP, especially when we’re on a road trip like NC500 in my little 2 seater sports car. We put the tent up, sit down and the relaxation washes over us - bliss

Sitting in the sun outside my house with a coffee looking at the view

Pottering in the garden

I’m trying to get back into reading - I used to read voraciously before someone invented the internet! I love browsing a book shop too, even though I’m not reading them fast, I keep buying books!

As others have said, getting into bed with fresh sheets, double points if I can snuggle with my DP

A long bath with a book and maybe a beer

Going to see my favourite bands and being immersed in the song, singing my heart out along with everyone else

Going out for an afternoon drinking with my DP (and sometimes friends too). We love our craft ale, just steady away, putting the world to rights

I’m sure there’s more!

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