Happiness? In This Economy? - Five Pieces of Joy From My Week.
In a time of extreme chaos, turmoil, and corruption, I try hard to focus on the little things—the day-to-day. Because looking too far beyond that often leads to soul-destroying levels of depression.
So here goes. Five pieces of joy from my week
1. Merlin Bird App
I'm sure you've all seen the jokes about hitting middle age and suddenly getting into birds? Well, it's funny because it's true.
At forty-one, I find myself drawn to birds like I was once drawn to hot douchebags. I used to wait for sexts. Now I wait for Peck.
Peck is the house sparrow who lives with his family in the Chilean Potato Vine outside my bedroom window. He’s called Peck because, in summer, he wakes me up each morning by pecking repeatedly and with purpose on the glass between us. I love these interactions so much that, for my birthday, I was given the luxury hotel equivalent of a birdbox to ensure they keep coming back.
Last week, my ex-husband told me about the Merlin Bird App. He pitched it as "living-in-the-future" technology. I shrugged it off—I'm trying to lower my screen time—until I was woken at 5 a.m. by an extremely loud warble.
So I caved. I downloaded the app, set it up, and, in the dark, held my phone out the window. The app instantly picked up on the birdsong and identified the culprit: a European Robin. I had no idea robins had such a beautiful, chatty call. It also detected several other birds singing nearby, and before I knew it, my brain separated each voice in the choir.
Today, I used it again. In one small area the app identified:
Dunnock
European Robin
Great Tit
Eurasian Wren
Black-headed Gull
Eurasian Jackdaw
Pink-footed Goose
Common Chaffinch
And it's amazing how quickly I’m learning to hear and identify each song myself.
The app also lets you record the birds you see and hear, browse likely sightings in your area, and look up photos and facts about each species. Now it just needs an update that tells us what the birds are actually saying.
JOY. JOY. JOY. Available on iPhone and Android.
2. Barraques Pedraseca
I like to keep the areas of my life separate online, so I have several Instagram accounts, including one dedicated to drystone walling. It was through this account that I discovered the wonder that is @Barraques_Pedraseca.
This account is incredible—it features intricate miniature replicas of the traditional drystone structures found in Spain. The level of detail is astounding, each tiny stone carefully placed, each structure a perfect tribute to the craft.
But what I love most about it is that it showcases my favourite thing about the internet: people bothering.
They don’t have to do this. No one is making them build miniature drystone walls. But they do it anyway—with skill, patience, and an obvious love for the craft. And that is wonderful.
3.This View From Loch Leven
No tricks, no clever editing—just the coming together of mist, sun, and water.
This was Loch Leven at around 10am. The mist hadn’t yet lifted, and the sun caught the surface just right, scattering silver across the water. Shimmering, otherwordly for just a moment before shifting. The light softened. The moment passed.
4.Stacks Of Books
There is nothing quite as quietly satisfying as a stack of books. Not neatly shelved, not alphabetised or organised by genre—just piled up, full of potential.
These are books I have read, books I intend to read, books I promise myself I am finally going to read. Some have been sitting in that exact spot for months, absorbing the light, collecting dust, becoming part of the room itself.
Less objets d’art—more stacks of books.
5. Listening to the Greeking Out Podcast with My Daughter
I love it when my kids discover something new to enjoy. We encourage everything, whether it lasts for five days or five years, and it’s a real privilege to be invited to join in.
Greeking Out is a podcast for kids by National Geographic, retelling classic Greek myths in a way that’s family-friendly—which, if you know anything about Greek mythology, is a critical detail.
But it’s not really just for kids—it’s brilliant for adults too, and I look forward to our time listening together. Firstly, it guarantees hugs, but I also love the storytelling. The podcast manages to frame the myths in a way that sparks genuine curiosity for both of us.
We often end up pausing to research things, going down historical rabbit holes, and having the kind of discussions I couldn’t have planned if I tried. We laugh a lot too—amused and perplexed by the sheer chaos of the gods, rolling our eyes when yet another human claims to be more beautiful than Athena. (Top tip: NEVER say you are better looking than Athena.) And we regularly ask the question:
Why the hell does Hera put up with Zeus?
It’s the best kind of learning—the kind that doesn’t feel like learning at all. Bonus joy: an amazing theme tune.
We listen to Greeking Out on Spotify.
So, that’s my week in five small joys. If you’ve got any weirdly specific or unexpectedly great ones of your own, I'd love to hear them.
Thanks for reading. I appreciate you being here.
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