Things that make you disproportionately happy.

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reohn2
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by reohn2 »

landsurfer wrote:The children's faces, 2 weeks ago on a boat trip off Tenerife, as we where surrounded by playful Dolphins ...... they where still reeling from the pilot whales when a huge pile of dolphins played around the boat. It went on for over 20 minutes.
The 2 youngest, 9 and 7, where literally speechless ... the eldest, 15, put his phone in his pocket ... "Want to see this with my eyes" .... top kids !!

Sounds like you all had a great time! :D :D :D
Though I'd class that as proportional happiness :wink:
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
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mercalia
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by mercalia »

today just a few minutes ago. Was visted by a flock of long tailed tits. Dont see many of them at my bird feeders 3 foors up, mostly blue/great tits and Robins and the odd starling and those dirty pigeons. I counted 7-8 of them just passing by for a feed then off they flew. I suppose all fledglings?
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Non-verbal communication
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peetee
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by peetee »

Stepping into the shower on a hot and humid day. I almost always have a bath at home as I love a soak but when I do have a shower it's very invigorating.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
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Cugel
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by Cugel »

Cyril Haearn wrote:Non-verbal communication


Wot, all of it?

I have felt something other than a disproportionate (or any) happiness when contemplating some kinds of non-verbal communication. Consider the bared teef of a large German Shepherd (the dawg, not the butch Teutonic herder man). How about the leering stares of a group pf footie-hools in The Dog & Bone? Worst of all: the frown of the ladywife, which presages who know what awful events?

I do enjoy the pre-walk dance of pleasure performed by the collies, mind. The whole collie-bod expresses all kinds of nice non-verbal comms.

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
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hercule
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by hercule »

Bike specific: I got out on my two wheel bent today having not ridden it since February when I had a nasty Unscheduled Dismount experience. I was about to put my Garmin Edge into its customary position on the stem but decided to leave it at home. The result was a lovely ride, rolling along, none the wiser as to whether I was going at 12.2mph or 14.6 mph, but just being in the moment and enjoying the cloud formations (bents are good for this :D ). I have a competitive streak, with myself if nothing else, taking away the numbers makes a big difference. I got home tired but happy, rather than tired and disappointed that I’d gone 0.5mph slower than last time (or whatever).
Cyclops
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by Cyclops »

hercule wrote: I have a competitive streak, with myself if nothing else
:D

It's nice finding my puncture repair has held an I can make good my escape. An a timeless problem on my general lazyness overlapping on to my bikes is that the part just about to go will in fact go another day or two..
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Twin children dressed alike
Children gambolling in a fountain
The word 'gambolling'
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gbnz
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by gbnz »

Hitting 38mph at 10.02 this morning, arriving for a freshly baked pain au chocolate at 10.04 (NB. End of ride) and arriving back home, literally 4-5 seconds before it began to rain. A great ride :wink:
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Cugel
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by Cugel »

hercule wrote:Bike specific: I got out on my two wheel bent today having not ridden it since February when I had a nasty Unscheduled Dismount experience. I was about to put my Garmin Edge into its customary position on the stem but decided to leave it at home. The result was a lovely ride, rolling along, none the wiser as to whether I was going at 12.2mph or 14.6 mph, but just being in the moment and enjoying the cloud formations (bents are good for this :D ). I have a competitive streak, with myself if nothing else, taking away the numbers makes a big difference. I got home tired but happy, rather than tired and disappointed that I’d gone 0.5mph slower than last time (or whatever).


You have related an excellent lesson for all modern gizmo-obsessed cyclists! I mean - do they count the calories of all their dinners and breakfasts, as well as the time taken to eat them along with the weight, colour and temperature of the ingredients? Probably. :-)

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
John Maynard Keynes
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Cugel
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by Cugel »

gbnz wrote:Hitting 38mph at 10.02 this morning, arriving for a freshly baked pain au chocolate at 10.04 (NB. End of ride) and arriving back home, literally 4-5 seconds before it began to rain. A great ride :wink:


Did you weight that pain au chocolat and place it's colours on the Adobe colour space? Hopefully you noted it's calorie, fat, sugar and E-number percentages. If not, you have failed to complete the cycle ride correctly and may need a new Garblin: the one that can measure pain au chocolats as well as guiding you on to a motorway leading to a cliff edge, whilst lying about how much climbing you did and at what pace.

Cugel, a data luddite.
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
John Maynard Keynes
Tangled Metal
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by Tangled Metal »

reohn2 wrote:The way Wheateaters fly from fence post to fence post in front of me when I riding in the summer.

That reminds me of dippers on the river wharfe as we kayaked from grassing ham (iirc or a bit lower down) to the get out after the strid. You'd see it flying ahead of us from rock to rock. Then it would reach the end of its patch and fly back upstream to where we first saw it. Only for another dipper taking over. Amazing birds and related to the little wren I believe.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by Tangled Metal »

Another bird related high. Ravens. Probably the nicest birds you can see if you see them close up. I've had three exceptional experiences given to me by ravens.

First was a lunch stop where a very large and cocky raven begged for food. It was so confident it came right up to between us to check our bags out. They're rather glossy black and beautiful.

Second was a stop halfway up scafell on a steep, grassy slope. We heard a noise that sounded like a remote control helicopter behind us up the slope. It wasn't it was a raven gliding down the slope hunting. Yes they're hunters catching their own live food. It was a couple of metres at most above the ground. Anyway it went right over my head at less than a metre away. I could hear the wind in the loose, messy feathers underneath the wing use made a helicopter blade around. I could see the individual feathers it was so close. I could see the fibrils that make up the feathers. We watched it going down the slope, zigzagging across the slope then saw it fly away near the bottom.

Third encounter was 3 ravens who took off from crinkle crags cliff faces. They took off because 5 paragliders were flying past. Not scared just out for fun. They swooped and glided between above and under the pilots giving them a real masterclass in flying. One even flew under the wing touching it with its claws. Amazing!

A few extra bird contacts that made me feel great. The kestrel hovering just above my open car sunroof when I was stuck in traffic. I was looking up and it was looking down for what seemed like minutes. Don't know what in my car it was interested in but I enjoyed its attention.

Or the Robin eating out of my hand on a 11 day backpack round the lakes at a lunch stop at a picnic site.

Or the Robin that lead me home on the shortest day when I had lost the waymarkers on a diverted trail through a forest. The posts showing the way were easily missed but a Robin's chirp and looking angrily around I realised it was on the post with the diversion arrow. Then again and again and again. It got me home before it was too dark on a very cold day.

IMHO animals can raise your spirits whether through their beauty or their interactions with you. Makes me very happy when those special encounters happen.
reohn2
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by reohn2 »

Tangled Metal wrote:
reohn2 wrote:The way Wheateaters fly from fence post to fence post in front of me when I riding in the summer.

That reminds me of dippers on the river wharfe as we kayaked from grassing ham (iirc or a bit lower down) to the get out after the strid. You'd see it flying ahead of us from rock to rock. Then it would reach the end of its patch and fly back upstream to where we first saw it. Only for another dipper taking over. Amazing birds and related to the little wren I believe.

I didn't know of the Dipper's relation to the Wren but I too like to watch them dipping in lakelend streams :)
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
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gbnz
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Re: Things that make you disproportionately happy.

Post by gbnz »

Cugel wrote:
gbnz wrote:Hitting 38mph at 10.02 this morning, arriving for a freshly baked pain au chocolate at 10.04 (NB. End of ride) and arriving back home, literally 4-5 seconds before it began to rain. A great ride :wink:


Did you weight that pain au chocolat and place it's colours on the Adobe colour space? Hopefully you noted it's calorie, fat, sugar and E-number percentages. If not, you have failed to complete the cycle ride correctly and may need a new Garblin: the one that can measure pain au chocolats as well as guiding you on to a motorway leading to a cliff edge, whilst lying about how much climbing you did and at what pace.

Cugel, a data luddite.


Hmm, sorry I'm not into Garblins, whatever they may be. I've sometimes thought about buying a phone, a tv, a microwave, a car or other hi tec stuff, but have to apologize, because I don't really feel the need (NB. Though at least I don't sit on bit's of a dead animal when riding - Brooks or similar)

And in respect to pain au chocolats', I'm quite happy to have a binge, while sitting in the sun, in between a high speed ride and a high speed swim. Haven't got any interest in calorie, fat, sugar counts et al
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