Six things that make me happy.

A mid-week post because two of my blogging world friends: Philip and Ttony tagged me with a meme to list six things that make me happy...

So here they are:

Food

Food is one of my favourite things. Food, and the presentation of it in appetisingly tasty forms is a wonderful gift from God! Reading about it, cooking it, writing about it and of course eating it: My love of food is all encompassing just like my love of God!

The Holy Trinity

The Holy Trinity is one of my favourite things. I love receiving Our Lord at Holy Mass and singing his praises (even in German).  When I go to bed I like to think about the Holy Trinity until I fall asleep – I hope that the time will come when I can spend eternity in the presence of my God!

Books

Books are one of my favourite things. New books to be sure but old books especially. Second hand books. I can spend a happy afternoon or indeed an entire day, looking through old second hand bookshops for treasures that appeal to me. Biographies of Saints and other interesting people, Murder mysteries of the more gentile sort, Poetry and books on the countryside and nature. 

PG Wodehouse never fails to make me laugh. I love the intellectual niceties of ‘Fr Brown’ ‘Brother Cadfael’ and Lord Peter Wimsey. Dame Edith Sitwell’s poetry is fab as is the Earl of Surrey’s. Mary Mitford’s ’Our Village’ is such as nice book. Roper’s Biography of St. Thomas More. Prescott’s bio of Mary Tudor. I could go on. But by far my favourite books are those on all periods of English history. I well remember the time I spotted both volumes of Dr Shirley’s edition of ‘Letters of King Henry III’ in a second hand shop. I know I spent a lot of money on them but now as I look at them sitting there all snug on the bookshelf I feel a happy glow in my heart!

13th Century

The 13th century is one of my favourite things. It was an innocent time. Unsullied by the bleakness of the Black Death. The passions of the people were exceedingly childlike and they had a child like trust in God although they didn’t always do good. When they were happy they laughed out loud and when they were sad they cried. They were an uncomplicated people. True there were fights and indeed they were sometimes big ones as at the Battles of Lewes and of Evesham. There was also a lot of legal wrangling. 13th Century in England was presided over by one of my heroes, the artistic King Henry III (I know not to everyone’s taste). Then there was St. Francis of Assisi, St. Dominic, Abbess Euphemia of Wherewell, St. Louis IX, St. Thomas Aquinas, Eleanor of Provence, Richard of Cornwall, and the list goes on. And there was a growth in gardening, the introduction of more comfortable habitation at all levels of society, new discoveries and glorious churches that sore to the skies. What a time to be alive!

Family and Friends

Family and friends are among my favourite things. My mother, my best friend AGA, my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew, my cousins, friends at work and at play and when blogging  – they all go to make my life pleasurable. How could they not be a part of my favourite things!

Music

Music is one of my favourite things. Baroque music is my great love (especially Handel and old Jean Philippe Rameau after whom my car was named). Handel is alleged to have said that the only music that Englishmen liked was the sort they could tap their feet to – and that is me! I love dance music. Not for me andante or lento. I want gigues, vivace and presto!  And yes it is true that I sing 'Rule Britannia' at the top of my voice while baking cakes. . .

During the 80s and 90s I listened to dance music loudly, all the time and I still listen to it today along with various current ones which I store on my iPod for when I am doing the cleaning or on a plane flight, or studying… Actually I am listening to it as I type this post (Mind you, I am also eating a large piece of Stollen (German Christmas cake) spread with butter and raspberry jam)

At the age of forty-five, I am too ‘ancient’ to go to a nightclub without looking silly. I would probably get tired rather quickly if I did go as well as being shocked by the licentiousness and vulgarity, but I can still enjoy the music providing the lyrics are okay. 

Having said that though I also find that these days I enjoy the more dramatically sublime (if you can say such a thing) music of the likes of Vittoria, Tallis and Monteverdi, provided, like Ttony, you can play it loud. The Coronation music for King James II is a particular favourite of mine and would you think me silly if I was to say that Vaughan Williams’ ‘The Lake Ascending’ always brings tears to my eyes? I always think that it is such heart-stirringly brave music.

Yikes! That is a very long explanation! Mea culpa if I became boring ...

Okay so there are my six. 

Mind you I could have put in some more as there are many things arising from being surrounded by God’s most wondrous bounty that make me happy!

Now as for who I would tag. . .

It is tricky because some of my possible candidates have already been tagged...

I chose:

Tom my cyber cousin in Vegas

Adrienne (because she hasn't posted one yet although I bet she has been tagged already.)

Elderflower 

Rita who writes some of the most thoughtful posts I know

Terry over there at the Abbey Roads Sites

Louise who write a very amusing yet thought provoking blog