40 Things I Love

40 Things I Love Challenge

Just finished one challenge and here I am with another one, but at least this is just for a single post. Thank you, Nesiller over on Medium for tagging me in the “40 Things I love” Challenge. This will be my first long listicle ever and I’m looking forward to writing it. The hardest part will be sticking to 40, but I won’t cheat.

40 Things I Love

1. The Dawn chorus, what a sound to wake up to.
2. Visiting Art galleries and losing myself in the paintings.
3. Reading non-fiction. My interests include subjects like the cosmos, ancient humans, Tudor England.
4. Italian food, almost an addiction. You got me at pasta.
5. My three wonderful children. Adults now, making their own life journeys.
6. Visiting islands, especially Inisbofin off the coast of Ireland. I love being cut off from all the buzz for a while.
7. Having a facial. A total chill out. Bliss.
8. Feeling the sun on my skin.
9. Photography. Being able to convert the idea into an image.
10. Richard Dawkins or any other writer that stimulates my brain.
11. Writing something that connects with people.
12. My mother, she is part of who I am.
13. Music. My tastes are pretty broad, everything except Heavy Metal, really.
14. Reading the works of Primo Levi and other Holocaust writers.
15. My brothers and sisters. Best siblings ever, they help keep me grounded.
16. Writing stories, especially funny scenes with lots of dialogue.
17. Cheese, definitely an addiction. Cheddar, Brie, Feta…The list is endless.
18. Walking in the woods, especially in autumn.
19. The sounds of the ocean waves with seabirds squawking overhead.
20. Going to the cinema and getting engrossed in a film.
21. Bushy Park, my childhood home in Roscommon.
22. The smell of bread baking in the oven.
23. Painting, especially oil painting. I love the mess and freedom.
24. Meeting new people, making new friends.
25. Free writing, it helps me connect with my inner self.
26. Products, like shower gel and body cream. The girlier the better.
27. Visiting historical buildings at home or abroad. I love the sense of connecting with the past.
28. My long-time friends, some of whom I’ve known since my college days.
29. Writing poetry, it’s something I’ve done since I was a child.
30. Snowdrops, the first sign of spring.
31. Newborn babies. They bring tears to my eyes every time. I think it’s the innocence.
32. Reading classics like Geoge Orwell’s 1984 or Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut.
33. Red wine, especially a good Bordeaux.
34. Boats on the ocean. I love standing out on deck and feeling the wind in my hair.
35. Poetry, especially the works of W.B. Yeats and Emily Dickenson.
36. The scent of lavender flowers.
37. Dystopian novels, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is one of my favourites.
38. Traditional music in an Irish pub, you can’t really beat it.
39. Travel in general. I love the excitement of waking up to a new world, especially if the sun is shining.
40. The robin in my back garden. It’s the little things…