The Ordinary Things That Made Me Happy Today...

1. It was a glorious sunny day in Dublin. No need for hoods and umbrellas. I even slipped off my jacket, scarf and gloves downtown, although it was fairly cold in the morning. But so did the crowds. The air is always cool and fresh here of course, with no humidity or pollution that may commonly be found in the tropics. The weather forecast had stressed that April showers would visit only on Sunday. And that there would be chilly and blustery North Winds once more. But till then...
   
2. We sat at cafes in Temple Bar and Grafton Street in the afternoon. Others plopped themselves down on squares and stairs and side streets, watching the world go by.
3. Many hot cups of tea and at one point, a delicious chili hot dog from Eddie Rockets.
4. Strolling the long shiny pavements of a smart Wicklow Street and admiring the attractive window displays.
5. Bumping into the odd clown. Theatrical busking and performances are starting up in the sunlight.
   
6. Waterstone's ringing to say would I please collect a much-awaited book that I had ordered? Jay Rayner's The Man who Ate the World, featuring the Jewish food journalist's adventures with international cuisine. The Observer had run a rambling colourful feature on Rayner in its Foods Monthly Magazine last weekend where he had stressed that his religion was food and of how he had worshipped passionately at his mother' fridge. And his family photographs and memories of kitchens had looked and sounded divine. I simply love, love, love food stories these days. Anyway, the writer's mother was Claire Rayner a famed television chef in Britain in the 60s and 70s.
7. Managing to steer clear of the many begging Romanian gypsies that conjure up sob stories as a profitable business or should I say, racket, in Dublin. Later, you see them in groups together...buying expensive clothes and laughing in delight at how much they had managed to rake up.
   
8. Making a French dish from a home-cooked recipe that I had caught in good time fromTrisha's Paris Kitchen televised yesterday. Very simple too. I'll write it down here. Collect red and green peppers. Slice and simmer in pan with olive oil, on a low heat. Add on minced garlic, some chilli - not too much - and a tin of very ripe tomatoes. Let it all stew for a bit. Make some scrambled eggs - add a little milk to the whisked yolk - where by the time the eggs are fried, the pepper would have been cooked to perfection. Serve side by side. I never knew I would find cookery so therapeutic or peaceful. I like the idea of experimenting with seafood, chicken, salads, fruit platters and vegetables and cooking with the music on.
   
9. My plants looking cheerful in the mornings.
10. The sunlight streaming in through the low windows that adds a golden glow to all my rooms.
11. My rose-scented candle or oils that seem to hover everywhere.
12. When my reads look promising in the mornings
    
13. Contemplating my holiday plans. It feels like ages since I last went back to Africa.
    
14. Contemplating new ideas for my writing.
15. A security guard and a good acquaintance at a bookstore, who on hearing that I had left a beloved novel, on the train to the Howth coast, went out of his way to look up a copy and managed to secure the last one for me.
16. A cafe owner on North Earl Street who always serves me an extra pot of tea for free, when I stop by.
17. The clip-clop sound of horse carts being manouvered miraculously around rush hour traffic.
18. The rows and rows of cutesy eco friendly cabs offering free city rides.
    
19. And so on. And so on. :-)
    
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