Bliss

One of life's pleasures is curling up with a good book to the sound of rain beating against the window pane and a cuppa. Bliss.

Now there are a certain few tweaks to make this pleasure absolute bliss.

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Firstly the coffee or tea has to be a blend which you enjoy. This is definitely not the time for "it will do" blend.  Secondly the mug.  It has to be big enough to hold a warming amount of coffee but not too big that the mug itself is hard to lift.  Thirdly one has to be comfy. Perhaps a quilt to throw around the shoulders or over the knees.  Perhaps a throw or perhaps that old warm roomy jumper that has survived so many mishaps. 

Of course the most important choice is that of a book.  This is the time for the latest book by a favourite author.  Perhaps this is the time for renewing the warmth one feels from a favourite book one has read so many times that the cover has that well thumbed look.

Morning dawned to the sound of rain battering the windows.  Grey skies enveloped the area cutting the house off to the rest of the world.  Small streams were already forming as yet again another year had passed and the drains had not been cleared.  Rain dripped from the forlorn looking trees.

I went through my mental list. Dinner?  Left overs from Sunday Lunch. Snacks? Plenty for those in the house.  Kitchen? Spick and span.  Oh yes, mental list checked off.  This day had all the makings for an uninterupted reading day.

Sheer Unadulterated Bliss.

I found myself in my favourite chair, my quilt folded beside me, in my comfy clothes and footrest in place.  Not knowing quite what book I wanted to read I had a selection.  Ruth Dudley Edwards’ "Matricide at St. Martha's", Donna Leon's "Earthly Remains", Noel Dorr's "Ireland at the United Nations" and Daisy Thurbin's "The Radziwll Leagacy"

.A tray beside me held toasted hot cross buns my husband had made, a sliced apple and a pot of tea being kept warm with a tea cosy.  Beside it sat a small china mug with images of the London Olympics bringing back happy memories. Yes I was all set.

It wasn't long before Ruth Dudley Eadwards, had me laughing at the antics of the heroine.  The rain continued unabated while I read and savoured being warm, having books to read while listening to music of the rain on the window. It certainly was absolute bliss but with a new twist.