Ten happy things – October 2020

Every month I like to reflect and choose ten things that made me happy and brought me joy. I think it’s important to remind ourselves of what we’re grateful for – no matter how small – particularly in these uncertain times. Here’s my ‘ten happy things’ for October!

Discovered a new Italian restaurant

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know how often we eat Italian food! Makes sense though when my husband is Italian… I spotted my friend Seetal had posted about an Italian restaurant, Officina 00, on Instagram near Old Street which looked fabulous so we booked a table for lunch.

The food was absolutely delicious! We also really liked the decor. They offer pasta making workshops too and there was a couple taking part in one when we were there. They got to eat their pasta afterwards and had loads of pasta to take home too!

Visited a friend

Earlier in October I ventured out to beautiful St Albans to have coffee and cake with my friend Lisa, who I haven’t seen in ages. She made a coffee cake, which was delicious! Lisa is a fellow freelancer like myself so it was so nice to talk ‘shop’ a bit and how this has been a tough year. Don’t you just love the tablecloth? So cute!

I’m on a podcast!

I was delighted to be invited by Ephraim Gopin of 1832 Communications to be on his podcast for Nonprofits. I chatted to Ephraim about social media and how it’s about being social, not broadcasting. You can listen to or watch the podcast here.

Loving the Autumn colours

After Summer, Autumn is my favourite season. I just love all the gorgeous colours, from burnt gold to fiery red! In Durban where I grew up, we don’t really have this seasonal change like we do in the UK. Even though I’ve lived in the UK since 2004, I still find Autumn so novel! And one of my favourite things to do is channel my inner five year old and jump in big piles of crunchy leaves!

Judged the Inspiring Communicator Awards

As a trustee of CharityComms I got to help judge the Inspiring Communicator Awards this year! (I actually won an award myself back in 2016). This has been an extraordinary year for the charity sector, with many staff furloughed or made redundant. I’m so proud of how the sector has stepped up to continue to provide support and guidance to those they help, and with less resource. There were so many amazing nominations… it was tough to judge! Thankfully there were four other judges and together we have narrowed down the nominations to a list of winners, which will be announced on 9 December!

I got a new website!

Years ago I started a work blog which I then tried to turn into a website because I just never had the time to write blogs. It looked awful though so finally I decided to build a brand new one. It was quite difficult as the theme was using Elementor which I’ve not used before and I was tearing my hair out at times! I got there in the end though and even though it’s fairly basic, I like it. As I was getting a new website, I thought I should get some new headshots to go with it! Check out my website here.

Weekend away in Windsor

It was my husband’s birthday in October and I took him away to Windsor for the weekend as his present. We’ve been twice before but not for about ten years so it was lovely to return. We stayed in a gorgeous AirBnB and I took him to the fabulous one Michelin starred restaurant The Hind’s Head in Bray. We had a lovely weekend away!

Went for a run

Now this might seem odd for something that made me happy but the reason it made me happy was because I only ran twice in October and the second run I really didn’t want to do but I did. And I felt great afterwards! Plus I also bought some gym leggings that were on sale and are great for running in.

Discovered the O2 centre

I had a day off and wanted to go and see the Emirates cable car, which is right by the O2 Centre. I’ve only ever been here for concerts (and years ago) but I was surprised and delighted that there were loads of shops inside! There’s even a whole designer outlet area. It was great! I even managed to buy a couple of Christmas presents.

Reading in bed

At the beginning of the year, one of the goals I set myself for 2020 was to read a book a month. Well I’ve smashed that target with 17 so far! I have absolutely loved reading in bed in the morning with my first cup of coffee of the day, instead of watching breakfast television. Much better for my mental health, I can tell you!

I’ve also been able to read a bit in the late afternoon or early evening and as the days are getting shorter, it’s rather lovely getting a cup of tea and nestling under a blanket and reading as it gets dark outside.

So that’s my ten happy things for October! As we head into Lockdown again here in the UK I’m not sure what November’s post will look like…

Share with me in the comments what made you happy in October and brought you joy.