1) Christmas songs. I have a CD of them I put on in traffic jams even in the dead of summer.

2) Notebooks. This is a lifelong obsession. It makes me feel like I can conquer the world with a fresh pad and a to do list.

3) Museums. See previous post and above nerdiness.

4) Successful parallel parking.  My friend Vicki and I once got stuck in a B&B driveway and had to scrrrrrraaaape along their fence post and hoon off shamefacedly. Since then we text each other ev.er.y. successful parallel park. I have a back catalogue of pictures of my Picasso in Norwich roads.

5) When other people get told off. I’m such a goody goody /snitch. I once saw the police pulling over a car who’d just been tail-gating me and in that moment I felt that all was well and right with the world. Another, related, source of joy is braking when someone’s been driving right up close behind me. That’ll learn the pillock.

6) Any number of small domestic triumphs: coming home when the cleaner has been, seeing the bottom of laundry basket, having a fridge full of food, remembering it’s bin day, etc. Simple pleasures.

7) Post. All of it, but especially a card from me mam and Red magazine.*

8) My children, husband, friends, health etc blah
*by the by, my husband thinks post is archaic and pointless so I take great delight in paying for stamps on the joint account. First class, if possible. **

**Even I think first class stamps are a swindle. I’ve got a conspiracy theory on it- ask me about it sometime.