Happy Friday friends and welcome to the Friday Recliner  – a little something as always to get your weekend started on a relaxed note and a quiet place to rest a while

Round these parts its pouring rain and cold  tonight which is a perfect excuse I say for going to bed early with a cuppa tea and a good book (and I’ve got a couple of episodes of Yellowstone to watch).  Wild times 

First things first though – – – 

A Good Word

Our capacity for delight

is in the gift

of paying attention

Julia Cameron

A Good Look

Go on – stop and smell the flowers

See more of this sweet echidna Potee  here

A Good Idea

Three in fact from “Self Care in Hard Times” from Alysa Bajenaru

Take happiness breaks.

I started building these into my days a couple weeks ago when I realized I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders 24/7. Sometimes a happiness break looks like cranking up some ’90s music for 5 minutes and dancing like no one is watching (thankfully no one is watching). Sometimes it looks like sitting down and watching an episode of Schitt’s Creek for the 10th time. Allowing myself a break from the heaviness has been one of the most important pieces of self-care I’ve implemented this year.

Find something beautiful and look at it 

Seeking out beauty and taking time to focus on it (seriously, stare at it for at least 20 seconds) unlocks a moment of peace in the middle of a busy or anxious day. I love looking for light and the way it peeks through the trees, noticing new blooms on my hibiscus plant, or watching birds swoop through my backyard.

Read comfort books

These are books I’ve read at least once that give me a warm sense of comfort, plus a few collections of poetry. Reading them feels like being wrapped up in a blanket. The familiarity of words and characters helps my mind take a break and I can rest in the story. Poetry helps me remember to keep my head up and notice beauty around me. I especially like to read something from this stack before bed. It’s a much better way to wrap up my day than watching TV or looking at my phone. (For those who are wondering, here is my stack)

• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

• My Life in France by Julia Child (my absolute favorite)

• My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

• The Jubilee: Poems by John Blase

• New Collected Poems by Wendell Berry

• Devotions by Mary Oliver

What would be on your list?

A Good Read

My Hacked-Together Outdoor Living Space Helped Expand My 425-Square-Foot Studio Apartment (For $0)

I’ve been self-isolating with my husband since March, in a 425-square-foot studio apartment in Long Beach, California. I adore our home—it’s essentially a cute beach shack with surprisingly high ceilings and a lot of natural light that somehow costs less than what I paid for a room in a shared house back in my hometown of London. With all of that said, being functionally stuck in our tiny home has been challenging as each of us navigate how to live and work in the limited space—while also maintaining a level of happiness and quality of life without any of the excursions, work trips, and mountain drives that we valued so much.

But I am nothing if not resourceful. Throughout my 30-plus years on the planet, I’ve become rather adept at creating comfort in unusual spaces. I built dens for me and my sister on the balcony of my dad’s old tenement block when we wanted to escape. I used sheets to create separate rooms in an old warehouse in East London after some of the inhabitants decided that they needed a little privacy. And I’m still the one who builds forts for my nephews and nieces out of blankets and string lights whenever they visit. Turns out my deft hand at reimagining the boring and often small places where I’ve lived has become a lifesaver during the COVID-19 crisis.  

– – –  Keep reading

And one more for good measure

Naming & Framing

By Charlie Park

Till next week friends, have a beautiful weekend – rest up, do something you love xx

Remember you can browse through the  previous articles and posts linked to in The Friday Recliner right  HERE.