Things that made me smile this week

2 December

This year has been a rough one, with every week bringing more bad news and anxiety about the state of our country and the world. In order to counter the doom and gloom that dominates the media these days I have decided to be more conscious of all the good things that are often overshadowed by the negative. My hope is to create a weekly list of things that have made me smile or laugh or lift my spirits because when I take cognisance of those things, I realise that even the worst weeks are always interspersed with moments of happiness, however small.

So, for the past week...

Spending a sunny Saturday doing a wine and cupcake pairing with good friends. Within a few minutes of setting foot onto any wine estate, I already feel relaxed and by the time I leave, rejuvenated and ready to face another week. And it's not just because of the wine.

Watching The Boss with Melissa McCarthy. I am a huge Melissa McCarthy fan; her movies never fail to make me laugh, sometimes to the point of tears - happy tears.

Decorating my Christmas tree while listening to Kylie's Christmas album at full volume. I love Christmas time, I always have, and decorating for the season brings joy to my world.

Enjoying the mouth-watering cheese twists from Woolworths - admittedly a little overpriced at just under R15 but those tasty cheesy carbs are so worth it.

My first taste of the new Magnum First Kiss crème brûlée  and the sound of the chocolate cracking with the first bite - smooth custard flavoured ice cream, caramel sauce and caramelised sugar pieces, covered in chocolate.

Watching Amor Vittone play a beautician from the wrong side of the tracks on 7de Laan. Her low-class mix of Afrikaans and English is very entertaining. The word of the week is "sissa".

Saving over R4000 on the service of my car. After being quoted a staggering R5600 for a service from the official dealer, I went with a small garage on the recommendation of a friend instead. I hate anything car-related so I was relieved that this experience was quick and painless and a helluva lot more affordable.

This post on Buzzfeed: 100 Tweets That Made British People Piss Themselves In 2016 - and not only British people. I laughed out loud. And then went back to the beginning and laughed again.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/robinedds/100-tweets-that-made-british-people-piss-themselves-in-2016?utm_term=.vhe2And4a#.ow3X4be61