Simple Pleasures And TMI Tuesday

I’ve been a bit battered and bruised recently, but not in the desirable way. It’s not been as bad as others have it at the moment, but it was intense, and right at the edge of what I can manage at the moment. Yesterday came the decision that this week would be full of joy and when I saw the notification in my inbox from TMI Tuesday I knew it was a sign! The questions this week are all about simple pleasures. What a wonderful way to refocus my energies.

1. Tell us your top two simple pleasures.

This was really hard to answer. Not because I couldn’t think of any, but most of my tastes are simple, and so my pleasures, of which there are many, are generally simple too! However, it wasn’t impossible to narrow them.

The first is being out under the big sky.

It doesn’t matter what the weather is doing, though I’m not such a fan of really cold temperatures, I just love to be out and about. Everything is better with a healthy dose of the wide expanse of blue, white or grey! There really is little better, whether that is with family, friends or solo. It is a vital component for my mental health/self care tool kit too, at which point it may not be considered pleasurable, more restorative. Either way, it is a simple and welcome addition for any day.

The second of my simple pleasures is pairing socks.

I can’t wear odd socks without being distracted all day, even thinking about doing so has my feet twitching at the end of my legs. Oddly, I’m the exact opposite of my brother who doesn’t like wearing matching pairs, a fact that amuses me no end. As a result of my compulsion for paired socks, I won’t put them away if they are flying solo. As I think everyone knows, socks have an odd way of going missing. Is there an Eater of Socks, as Terry Pratchett told us about in The Hogfather?

If there is it is going hungry in my house. I’ve an eager eye when it comes to tracking down the oddsies in my house. These treasures take lodging in a small sack which lives in a corner of my bedroom. Once the sack is full I make a cuppa (I can tell you’re surprised!) sit down on my bedroom floor and empty the wayward fabric tubes all over the carpet. Then I while away a happy time pairing them- quite the image, isn’t it? I am a recovering perfectionist, but this is one area of my life where I do not deviate from the task at hand. Even those pesky black school socks, which are all so different but mostly the same, have to be accurately paired. A much trickier proposition than pairing my more outlandish pairs.

2. You are being a offered a day of pleasure but you must choose one of the following to do. Which would you choose?

• Sex
• Watching big sports match/game
• Fun times with good friends

Before I answer this question, I want to share that these shouldn’t be exclusive of each other. If your idea of fun times with friends is fucking them while watching the football, then assuming you’re not in the stands of the stadium I imagine you’re good to go!

As for my answer…

I can safely say I’m not a fan of watching sports. As with my sexual proclivities I am not a voyeur, and have little interest in something I’m not part of. Active participation is the name of the game for me.

As for sex, I do enjoy this very much, but it wouldn’t be my go-to. Especially as I’ve handed over control of this area to Sir. Though I do have fun whenever permission to play in this way is granted, it’s not really my decision. Going against our boundaries would be very much the opposite of enjoyable.

Which I guess leaves me with one option. Having fun times with good friends. OK, OK, it was going to be this all along wasn’t it? (If you’ve not been reading my blog long, do have a look at the tag friends to see what I mean.) Sometimes these fun times with good friends will be entirely vanilla (see the bonus question) other times there will be some sexual play, but more often it I love to share platonic kink with my friends.

3. The sun shining through your window in the morning–annoyance or pleasure?

I have blackout curtains which means I’m at zero risk of being accidentally annoyed by an early dose of sunshine. I am not generally a morning person!! Occasionally, though, it’s wonderful to be woken bright and early, the sun kissing my face, welcoming me to the morning. At these times I leave my curtains open so that I can wake to a view of the sky. (Remember that simple pleasure of mine?) And on those occasions it is one of life’s great pleasures, not simple at all.

4. If you uttered the words “pleasure me” to your lover, what would you want to happen?

If I were to ask this of Sir the “pleasure me” would be about his pleasure. He would have asked me to say it to ignite the fires in my belly, as I find my voice deeply humiliating! As for what I would mean, that depends on what spots he was hitting before I said the words, though it’s likely I’d be asking for pain, orgasms or a mind-fuck. He knows me better than anyone, especially when it comes to what gets me excited. I’m a lucky lady, whose Dominant enjoys her pleasure seemingly more than his own, but all I want is for him to make the most of my flesh in whatever way he desires. (Within my boundaries, which he has always respected and protected.)

As for less formal lovers, I wouldn’t use these words with them. Our scenes would be discussed in advance- boundaries, desires and specific requests. The pleasure would be the by-product of the plans made beforehand. Not as mechanical as it sounds, planning means we can all relax and have a great time.

5. Tell us one thing you were most grateful for last week?

Sir.

The proverbial straw that broke the camels back happened last week. A choked cry from me (or a very disordered and barely coherent email) and he reached out and caught me. Setting me back on my feet again. I may have been a little disorientated still, but with my focus trained on him I was then able to step back up and face the issues that needed sorting outside of our dynamic. I am always grateful for having him in my world, but I was reminded last week of just how special he is.

Bonus: What is the last thing you crossed of your bucket list?

On Sunday I was able to take my children Canoeing for the first time. I had wanted to do this for a long time but the stars aligned and a friend offered to take us. It was a fabulous afternoon. The boys were cheeky, fun and kept within the boundaries laid out for them. There really is nothing better than seeing them excited and fully engaged, and watching them learn new things always makes me proud.

Special bonus question–one of life’s mysteries: Are fig newtons cookies or bars? (thelatephoenix wants to know)

Fig Newtons, or fig rolls as we call them in the UK, are definitely biscuits. I would describe them as a stuffed cookie though as that is softer/squidgier than a crumbly biscuit. Why do they fall into this category of baked goods? Because the baked dough goes soft when they get stale, if you’re lucky enough to have them last that long! Cakes, on the other hand, go hard when they get stale.

I love Fig rolls. They were always one of my favourite treats from the biscuit barrel growing up. But then something happened, and it was pretty devastating. OK, it wasn’t that bad but… Running past an aid station at an event a few years back I picked up two fig rolls, snaffling one as I ran p the hill. It landed with a heavy (well-chewed) thud in my tummy. The nauseous ache I experienced was quite unlike anything I’ve experienced while snacking on the run- before or after. Shocking! As someone who doesn’t really struggle with eating on the go, discovering I couldn’t eat the “perfect” calories was frustrating. A sad day for this fig roll loving runner.

Anyway, that was definitely TMI for my simple pleasures. Happy Tuesday!

And because the world is feeling a little more Mmm I’ve decided to share these simple pleasures for Mmm Mondays Meme.

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