I have been pondering over this topic for a few weeks now as it is something nice and cheerful to write about. So, things that make me happy are as follows:

1: Time off work. Seeing as I really am not suited to my job (pensions administration) I really relish any days (including the weekend) when I do not have to will myself out of bed to go to work. This has been more prevalent in the last two months as I have not felt too well and have really had to use all my will power to get out of bed and go to work. The weekends for me or any time off is just blissful. No phones ringing, jno same day work item deadlines, no angry clients...BLISS!

2: Painting and Music: Painting cheers me up, although it can be hard work. The sort of paintings I do can be very detailed and can result in awful neck and back pains so it can be tough but there is not a great deal nicer than being sat with my i-pod on painting for a few hours. I have recently finished a painting that took me two years (on and off working on it around working full time) and that was really rewarding to have put in so much effort and actually have been able to see it through to the end!.

I find when I paint this is the only time I will listen to music anymore. I used to constantly listen to music, but working and the TV being on has reduced this- I have not listened to any "new" music for over a year so the more I paint, the more likely I am to get back into music and find new bands I like to listen to -which will have the domino effect of us then finidng local gigs to go to (Mr Norton loves live music, I like it if it is in a small venue and we go straight home after the gig).

Also in this section would be my favourite way to relax (may sound odd to some of you)- I adore sitting cutting up magazines. I have a gorgeous pink Babycham shoebox where I put all my cuttings. I then take the cuttings from the shoe box and categorise them into a series of folders and then I sometimes make collages in one of many on the go sketch pads, colleages on large notice boards we have up in the house or make things like birthday cards for people from the pictures I have collected.

3: Getting organised: I love updating my schedule and making lists and having clear outs and just generally sorting my life out. A good spring clean or making a list of all the things you have to do or want to do (there is a difference!) then going through the list ticking things off really makes me feel like I have achieved something in a very small way. I also like to be as productive as I can, so I try to get up early when I am not at work and try to do as much as I can (dooyoo, painting, reading, making playlists...).

I despise laziness and unless I am really unwell (as admittedly I have felt for three days in the last week), I cannot bear to just lie on the sofa and gaze blankly at the TV watching something I probably have no interest in! I'd rather turn the TV and read a book or write a letter or do something I actually want to do rather than trying to kill time until I decide to go to bed. I might buy a TV guide once a week and mark in this what I do want to watch then just turn the TV on for these specific programmes.

4: Shopping: I love being able to walk into town, have a wander around at my leisure and buy anything I see that I like. Unfortunately, I have rarely been able to do this since I was a student and had loads of free time and fresh new credit cards (lol) (that was around 10 years ago!) as now I am either too tired from working (my job is in an office in town) all week and really do not want to go into a busy town at the weekend, or don't have the money to be able to even consider a random shopping spree. Still, I like window shopping and browsing online and making wishlists of things I would buy if money was no object.

Wishlists are less stressful than going into a packed town centre where there are loads of people and you end up not finding the things you went to buy. So, wishlists have become the new shopping for me! Online shopping is less fun than walking around a store at your leisure but it has meant I have been able to find somethings I did not think existed (Mickey Mouse toaster...).

5: Reading: having recently had a week off work booked as holiday, but I have been ill for the majority of the time, I recently re-discovered reading. I used to love reading books and would constantly have two or three books on the go at once all hired from the library, but in recent years, I have just seemed to stop reading altogether. I have just paid off an old library fine so I can start to hire and order books again and I have just finished one book and am half way through another and it has reminded me how much I like reading. I may try my first book review on dooyoo!

6: The obvious: Mr Norton being just his lovely sweet thoughtful self, hugs, birthdays, nice foods- either something nice bought from the supermarket (like a nice ham and good cheeses) or Mr Norton cooking something lush, Christmas, getting nice letters from people I have not heard from for ages (I prefer letters to emails as they are more presonal and I hate getting phone calls from relatives as they only phone me if someone has died! plus I used to work in a call centre and I think this affected me somewhat as I now avoid answering the phone as much as I can). Even when I am at work, I get pangs of dread in my stomach when the phone rings (maybe why I have been unwell for the last few months!).

7: Physical Exercise: I am in no way sporty but I have found if I make sure I walk as much as possible (to work and back which is about 3-4 miles a day in total), do 10-20 minutes of a mix of pilates/ yoga and just general stretches at home every day, my IBS symptoms reduce and I feel less stressed, less lethargic and more like myself. I would hate to participate in some organised sporting event or even go to the gym as my Aspergers means I get quite anxious around lots of people and it just defeats the object. Sports at school was a nightmare and I hated it, so I now prefer to just keep as active as I can in my own little way and if this means walking and doing pilates at home then it works for me. I have found this to be beneficial and feel happier if I make sure I do keep active than if I just stop doing all forms of exercise.

8: Cashflow: By this I mean, the day the dooyoo cheque arrives or the relative sending a surprise £10 for my birthday or finding £5 in the street or finding a website (rare!) where it is as easy and reliable to make extra money as it is on dooyoo. So dooyoo and little surprise windfalls make me happy- like winning £5 on free bingo can cheer me up no end.

9: Making the world a cuter place items: ie lego cutlery, pom bear crisps, anything hello kitty, Disney kitchen appliances, -- basically anything I can find that is a cuter version of something you would normaly buy- I saw a Winnie the Pooh mop (adult version not a kids mop) in B&M Bargains last year but could not bring it back home on the train at the time!

This is all I can think of for the moment, but I think I have covered the main things I like to do. Mr Norton half joked last night when we were watching a film where a guy has to go into solitary confinement for 90 days that that would make 99% of people go crazy but I would do just fine as I tend to relish time I get on my own or where I don't have to leave the house. So I think my list has reflected this a bit!