Good Thing #1: A few weeks ago I got a copy of The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai from Waterstones, and yesterday I received a free copy of Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos from And Other Stories. (I will point out that I was sent these books after entering competitions. People don’t just send me free things all the time. More’s the pity.)

Good Thing #2: I kept spotting these weird wooden saint bracelets in shops but every time I considered buying one, I thought ‘it costs about six quid and looks like charity shop junk, no way’. In the end I found one not even at a charity shop, but at my friend’s house when I was helping her pack up some stuff to move house. So she gave it to me for free.

Good Thing #3: My flights to Bratislava are booked for the 1st September. Due to awkward timing and train fare fiascos I will be arriving at the airport a mere 6 hours and 40 minutes before the time of the flight. This, however, may actually be a good thing because I don’t mind sitting, reading, snacking, napping and people watching for a few hours. In what other situation do you get to sit and do nothing except leisurely read for that many hours? Even on a day off, I’d feel guilty for sitting for six hours straight without doing anything productive (whatever that means). So bring it on.

Good Thing #4: Speaking of which, I am so excited to work a 40 hour week and then get weekends off. Weekends off are almost unheard of at the moment. Even though I currently work less than 30 hours at my waitressing job, I’m actually looking forward to working more hours and then getting the weekends off. Two days with which to do whatever I please! This is so awesome I won’t even mind that I’m not getting paid.

Good Thing #5: I’m not so much of an Olympics type of person. I’ve never been very sporty or interested in sport. All I remember of Olympics coverage as a child was wondering why I couldn’t watch anything else. (This was back in the days when there were only five channels, and we often only had four because Channel 5 didn’t work very well.) But I’ve felt that I ought to pay a bit more attention this year, what with it being in my country and all, and I have to say that it’s fantastic how well Team GB are doing (and, more importantly, how well Team Yorkshire are doing). I’m glad that although in August last year, we were being represented by rioters who burned down their own cities, this year we are being represented by dedicated and inspirational athletes.

Good Thing #6: Last but (hopefully) not least, I would like some guest posts from you clever, witty, gorgeous people. I expect that I’m going to be pretty busy this month and the next, and blogging is unfortunately one of the first things I forget about when I’m clashed. However I would like to keep this little blog ticking over, and this feels like the perfect time to give other people the opportunity to take over. Comment, tweet me or email me (whatemilydidnext@gmail.com) if you’re interested!